Nelwyn Dobbins Gray, 87, of Malvern, Arkansas, passed away on September 28, 2026.

Nelwyn was born on June 7, 1939, in Hurricane, Louisiana, to Elijah Maurice Dobbins and Georgia Lucille Shaver. She married the love of her life, Whayne Ladell Gray, and together they shared 68 years of marriage, building a life centered around faith and family. Nelwyn and Whayne made Malvern their home in 1964, where they raised their family and remained for more than six decades.

Nelwyn was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She spent most of her life as a homemaker, caring for her family and making their home a place filled with love. She and Whayne raised four sons, and over the years their family grew to include 8 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Her faith in Jesus was at the center of Nelwyn’s life. She loved her church, had a special heart for children, and was a faithful prayer warrior for her family and others. Tucked inside her Bible, in her own handwriting, she described the purpose of her life: “I live to help people who are far away from God find the way to Him so they can do the same for others.” Beneath it she wrote, “Let’s do whatever it takes to get our friends to Jesus!”

Those weren’t simply words written in her Bible. They were the way Nelwyn lived. She wanted others, especially children and those she loved, to know the Jesus she knew and loved. She shared her faith, taught it, prayed it, and lived it.

If you picture Nelwyn, there is a good chance she was sewing or creating something for someone she loved. She made much of her sons’ clothing as they were growing up and used her talents throughout her life to make quilts, clothes, church crafts, decorations, and countless gifts for her children and grandchildren. Her hands were rarely still. Making things was one of the ways Nelwyn showed her love.

Above all, Nelwyn loved her family. She poured her love and faith into them, and the influence of the life she lived will continue through the generations that follow her.

Her family will deeply miss her presence, her prayers, her creativity, and the love she gave so freely. They are comforted by the faith that guided her throughout her life and by knowing that the Jesus she spent her life telling others about is the Jesus she is now with.

Nelwyn is survived by her husband of 68 years, Whayne Ladell Gray; her sister and best friend, Joanne Horner; her four sons and daughters-in-law, Michael and Dana Gray, Daniel and Anita Gray, Anthony and Deanna Gray, and James and Angie Gray; 8 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

Nelwyn was preceded in death by her parents, Elijah Maurice Dobbins and Georgia Lucille Shaver, and her stepfather, Will Ross Henry.

Visitation will be held Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Regency Funeral Home in Malvern, Arkansas. The funeral service will follow at 11:00 a.m.

Arrangements are by Regency Funeral Home. You may sign the guest book at regencyfuneralhome.com