Gail Harris Grissom

Mrs. Gail Harris Grissom, residing in Huntsville, Alabama, passed away at Huntsville Hospital on February 25, 2021, after a brief illness. A graveside service will be conducted Wednesday at 3:00 PM at Polk Memorial Gardens with John Vaughn officiating. The family will visit with friends Wednesday from 1:30 to 2:30 at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home. The family suggests memorials be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Condolences may be extended online at www.oakesandnichols.com. Mrs. Grissom graduated from Central High School in Columbia, Tennessee and attended David Lipscomb University in Nashville and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. After college and a brief work period, she married William Rea Grissom on October 11, 1964, and moved to Huntsville, Alabama where she was employed by two aerospace companies. Later she worked with her husband as a realtor and then as the accountant for W. Rea Grissom Realty for more than 45 years. Gail was a lifetime active member of the Church of Christ both in Columbia and Huntsville teaching children’s Sunday school and assisting with many church activities. She was an avid reader and advocate for St. Jude’s Research Hospital. Gail was a giving person and loved assisting friends, especially older friends, by keeping in touch with them by telephone, helping with their doctor appointments and wanting to bring joy and enrich their lives each day. She is survived by her husband of 56 years, William Rea Grissom; Son, William Rea (Jennifer) Grissom, Jr.; Three grandchildren: William Andrew Grissom, Taylor Marie Grissom and Zachary Drake Grissom; Two brothers: William Edward (Nora) Harris and George Martin (Diane) Harris; Sister, Donna (Carl) Leland; Brothers-in-law, John Bryce (Kathy) Grissom, Elliot Grissom and William F. Shouse, as well as nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her Father, Otho Martin Harris, Jr.; Mother, Mary Elizabeth Stanfill Harris; Sister, Theresa Harris Shouse; and Sister-in-law, Rosemary D. Grissom.