Meet Melody Living’s July Resident of the Month

​Meet Helen (Buzzie) Gray, Melody Living’s assisted living featured resident of July! We love getting to know each of our residents here at Melody Living Colorado Springs and can’t wait for you to meet Helen.
 
Helen Gray was born in Iran in 1930. Her parents, originally from Ohio, traveled overseas to Iran in 1922 to serve as medical missionaries. Helen moved to the United States at the age of 15 and attended Wheaton Academy Boarding School as well as Wheaton College in Illinois.
 
She and her spouse, Skip, met at Wheaton College where they both shared the vision of serving God. Upon graduation in 1952 they both started employment at The Navigators, a ministry that shares the gospel of Jesus and helps people grow in their relationship with God.

​The couple made their way to Colorado in 1953 when The Navigators headquarters moved to Glen Erie. They also served as missionaries in Costa Rica for 4 years. Helen loved serving there and both she and her husband became familiar with the Spanish language. When they arrived back home to Colorado, they were asked to train other missionaries that were planning trips to various countries. Helen and Skip were married 69 years and lived a fulfilling life serving The Lord.
 
Helen has a total of 3 children, Ken, Carol, and David; 13 grandchildren; and 16 great grandchildren! Ken was an attorney in Colorado Springs, he and his wife had 5 children and 6 grandchildren. Ken passed away in 2022 after a brave battle with cancer. Her daughter, Carol, is an oncology nurse here in Colorado Springs. Carol and her husband have 4 children and 8 grandchildren. David is a mechanical engineer in Dallas, Texas and has 4 sons. 

Helen's favorite hobbies include needlework and writing letters to keep in touch with the amazing people she has met through her mission work, and traveling. Helen’s favorite place she has traveled to is Switzerland. Her sister-in-law married a Swiss man after graduating from college, so Helen and Skip enjoyed traveling to visit quite often! Helen expressed her greatest accomplishment was being a support to her husband throughout their marriage.

​A pivotal moment that had an impact in her life was being caught in Iran for 8 years during World War II. After VE (Victory in Europe) day, she moved to the United States.
 
Helen chose to come to Melody Living’s assisted living community in 2021. She loved that it was a close drive to her daughter, and that it was a small, new community. Her favorite part about living here is the amazing relationships she has made with other residents and staff members these past two years.
 
If Helen could give a piece of advice to others, it would be “To get to know God and serve Him.”
 
We can’t wait to share more stories from our amazing residents with you. Luxury assisted senior living is just a tour away. To experience it for yourself, visit our contact page or give us a call at 719.960.4005.