September 8, 1928 – September 29, 2024
Lawton, OK
The funeral service for Marlyn Joyce Grayson, former Lawton resident, will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 4, 2024, at Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Aaron Frazier officiating.
Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery.
A special viewing and visitation for family and friends will be held on Thursday, October 3, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
Marlyn Joyce Grayson was born on September 8, 1928, in Lawton, Oklahoma to James Marion and Alta Bradford Burk. A talented and nurturing individual, she grew up in a large family with 15 siblings. At the age of 15, she married Leon W. Grayson and settled in Lawton, where they lovingly raised their family. In obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Leon and Joyce were baptized in Jesus’ name by Rev. Thomas L. Craft and also received the gift of the Holy Ghost in 1965, at the First Pentecostal Church in Jackson, Mississippi. This milestone in their lives would eternally impact the lives of their family members for generations to come.
Their consecration to the Lord took on an even deeper significance when, shortly after, Leon surrendered to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, proclaiming the Acts 2:38 message.
In addition to serving as an Assistant Pastor in Lawton, Oklahoma, Greenwood, Louisiana, Mustang, Oklahoma and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Leon and his wife established United Pentecostal Churches in Dundee, Texas, and Mustang, Oklahoma, where they profoundly influenced the lives of those around them. Joyce’s life was intricately woven into the fabric of their ministry as she and Leon forged new paths within their mission fields as they labored to establish churches. Brother and Sister Grayson would knock on many doors in their community, inviting people to come and experience their personal Pentecost; and as a result, many souls were saved, changing the course of many families. The epitome of a minister’s wife, she also dedicated herself to supporting the church financially by operating Joyce’s Thrift Shop in Mustang and making untold batches of her renowned peanut brittle to raise funds for various church projects.
Within the walls of their newly established churches, where resources for modern musical instruments were scarce, Sister Grayson discovered her own form of expression. With creativity as her guide, she found joy in magnifying her Lord, playing the Spoons and the Stand-Up Bass. Sister Grayson will be remembered not only as an anointed Sunday School teacher who could rightly teach the Word of Truth but also as a prayer warrior who seemed to have a direct line to the throne room of God.
Amongst her proudest accomplishments was her role as a caregiver to her invalid daughter, Cindy. For over 50 years, Joyce embraced this sacred calling with grace and strength, devoting her days and nights to ensure her precious daughter felt loved and cherished until Cindy passed away 7 years ago.
Mrs. Grayson was a member of the First Pentecostal Church of Jackson, Mississippi.
Sister Grayson is preceded in death by her parents, Marion and Alta Burk; her husband of 49 years, Rev. Leon W. Grayson; a host of siblings; her daughters, Sandra Cooper, and Cindy Grayson; son, Terry Grayson; her grandson, Michael Keith Moody and her great-grandson, Josh Gooding.
Her memory will forever be cherished by her daughters, Sharon Moody (Tommy) of Byram, MS, Lawana Johns (David) of Tuttle, OK, and her sister, Oleta Dean of Lawton, OK. Mrs. Grayson also leaves behind 8 grandchildren, Ronda Allen, Joann Gooding, Curtis McGhee, Darla Patrick, Renee Joiner, Gary Grayson, Jeremy Johns, and Justin Johns; 21 great-grandchildren, 17 great-great-grandchildren and an expected great-great-grandchild.
