Grace Muzette Dunaway

Grace Muzette Dunaway Sunrise Sunset May 7, 1925 – Aug 19, 2024

Muzette Dunaway transitioned from this life on August 19, 2024 at the age of 99. She was born on May 7, 1925 to Frank Albert Ray and Electa McClain Ray in Roundaway, MS. Muzette was preceded by her brothers Jim, Charles, Elmer and Sam. She leaves behind her sister, Dolly Sue Ray of Greenville, MS. Muzette married Fred Norman Shaffer in November 1943 who preceded her on December 23, 1966. She married W.G. Dunaway Jr. in October 1967 in Greenville, MS who preceded her on June 27, 2000.

Muzette was a nurse's aid at Kings Daughters Hospital in Greenville, MS in the mid 1960s. In the early 1980s, she built a successful community grocery and package store from the ground up in Maben, MS. In 1991, she moved to Maryland. There she became recognized as a Top Salesperson for Baby Superstore and then later worked at JCPenney until she retired in the late 1990s. She lived in the Laurel/Columbia, MD area until she moved to the Lorien Elkridge Nursing home in 2018.

She was a fixture at Lorien, often found hanging around the nurses station, most likely as that was where she felt comfortable from her past work experience.

Muzette enjoyed creating and painting ceramics, prioritizing building an air conditioned studio with her own kiln in a house she built in Cumberland, MS. She loved working daily crossword puzzles and tending to a variety of plants and flowers both in her outdoor flower beds and indoor spaces. She was a strong, independent, and hardworking person who held many roles over the course of her life but always cared for and provided for her family through the many seasons.

Muzette had six children: Norma, Fred, Frank (who preceded her in 2009), George, Gigi, and Steven. She leaves behind 15 grandchildren (Freddie, Johnny, Susan (who preceded her in 1967), Neal, Brian, Kevin, Shawn, Allen, Jimmy, Chrissy, Tricia, Caroline, Amelia, Matthew, and Ian). She leaves behind 26 great-grandchildren (John, Shawn, Joshua, Evelyn, Olivia, Anita, Johanna, Luke, Kelsey, Madison, Ethen, Jacob, Sara, Hailey, Matthew, Mason, Maddie, Marion, Auron Zachariah, Jimmy, Emma (who preceded her in 2016), Julia, Kaitlyn, Tyler, Levi, and Henry). She leaves behind 3 great-great-grandchildren (Lee Brice, Keira, and Liam).

Muzette’s graveside service will be at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Greenville, MS on August 27, 2024 at 2pm. Her memorial service will be held at Bethany Community Church (15720 Riding Stable Rd., Laurel, MD 20707) on August 31, 2024 at 11am. Please choose the service closest to you to attend. In lieu of flowers, make memorial donations in Grace Muzette Dunaway’s name to your favorite charity or organization. There will be lunch following the memorial service in MD.