Obituary of Grace Gorham

Grace Gorham March 14, 1928 - April 20, 2015 Grace Lucille (Jerri) Gorham, born on March 14, 1928, died on April 20, 2015 of natural causes. Grace was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi to Henry Singletary and Ercel Blackstock Singletary. She is preceded in death by her parents, sister, Bobbie Singletary and husband of 54 years, Harold (Hal) Gorham. She is survived by sons, Richard and Robert Gorham, one sister, Johnnie Singletary Bone, and two brothers, Eddie and Joe Singletary. Grace left home when she was 13 years old just before the beginning of World War II. She worked as a welder at a local shipyard and later managed the canteen that was in the shipyard, thus beginning her interest in the hospitality and food services industry. She moved to Florida, where she met and married Harold (Hal) Gorham. They moved to California where their sons, Richard and Robert were born. In the 60’s, Grace and Harold came to Texas where Harold worked in the aerospace industry. After Harold retired from the Navy, he and Grace (Jerri) owned and operated several businesses in the Seabrook area, one of them, Gorham’s Automotive Center on Nasa 1. Grace joined La Porte’s, St. John’s Episcopal church on March 7, 1982, where she worshiped and participated in many areas. She was a member of the adult Sunday school class, served for many years on church breakfast teams, and Rotary luncheon teams. Working on the Rotary luncheon teams was one of her most loved activities. Known as Ms. Jerri to many on the teams, she served for decades on the Rotary cooking teams in various jobs. She loved helping and serving the members of the LaPorte Rotary Club and took great pride in knowing each Rotarian and how they preferred their meals. She loved her family, her church, and the Rotarians. She was a hard worker who enjoyed serving and welcoming people, often arriving early to set up and staying late to clean up. She always described herself as “not much for talking,” but she became a talker when she was serving you food or tea at a Rotary luncheon or church dinner, checking up on you and your family. A memorial service will be held for Grace (Jerri) Gorham at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 102 East G Street in La Porte, Texas on Saturday, May 2, 2015, at 1:00 PM. Grace's video Tribute can be seen at the link below: https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/2QBPFB38DLD5T86J