They were always greeted with a smile from the nice lady in the maroon apron, and they never left the lunch counter without something on their tray to keep them ready to learn.

That lunch lady, Isadora Mary (Somosko) Gray, 79, passed away peacefully March 19, 2017. 

She was born July 15, 1937, in Akron, Ohio, and was a long-time resident of Stow, Ohio. She graduated from Stow High School in 1955, having been a cheerleader for the Bulldogs and the editor of the Stohion school newspaper, and has been active in class reunions ever since.

Isadora was a member of the Stow Public Schools staff for more than 25 years, managing the Riverview Elementary School cafeteria 19 years before retiring in 2008. After retirement she enjoyed lunch outings with her colleagues and her classmates.

She enjoyed traveling to visit her family, a raucous game of Uno, watching the classic TV show Emergency, crocheting and the taste of a maple creme stick on occasion. For many years she was mother to Lucky, a small gray mutt her husband brought home one day.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Julia M. Gorham; father, Charles W. Somosko Sr.; and stepfather, Alvin T. Gorham; sisters, Maryann (Larry) Wilson and Judy Gorham; brother, Charles W. Jr. (Helen) Somosko; and uncles, Cloyd Renninger and Ralph Fisher.

She is survived by her husband, Donald J. Gray, of Stow; sister, Patricia (Joe) Hantzsche, of Buckeye, AZ; brother, Alvin (Cathy) Gorham, of Ravenna; sons, Richard M. (Deborah) Gray, of Wolcott, CT, David A. Gray, of Brooksville, FL, and Robert K. (Cathy Manus-Gray) Gray, of Cuyahoga Falls; and a grandson, Nathaniel P. Gray, of Wolcott, CT.

Visiting hours will be Friday, March 24, 2017, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Dunn-Quigley Funeral Home-Stow Chapel, 3333 Kent Road, Stow, OH 44224. Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church in Stow. Burial is at Silver Springs Cemetery in Stow following Mass. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Holy Family Catholic Church.