Paula J. Gray, 69, Helena

HELENA, NY – Paula J. Gray died at her home here surrounded by her family on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of the Sacred Heart with Rev. Mark Reilly officiating on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. 

Burial will be held in St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Hogansburg, NY in the spring at the convenience of the family.

Friends and family may call at the Phillips Memorial Home, in Massena located at 64 Andrews Street, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9, 2024.

Born December 7, 1954, Paula Jean Derouchie was the second oldest of five children of the late Paul and Jean Derouchie of Brasher Iron Works.

She attended local schools, graduated from St. Lawrence Central High School in 1973, and after school received a certificate from the Massena School of Business.

She worked for many years with public accounting firms in Potsdam and Massena, most of those with Dragon Benware Co.

She went on to work at the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe as a senior accountant for 17 years, where she made many lasting and meaningful friendships.

In 1980, she married her longtime love Gerald J. Gray of Helena. They built a lovely home on the Deer River in Helena and set about raising a family of five children, who survived her, along with three grandchildren.

Jerry predeceased her in 2021.

Paula was a very proud mother to Stephanie and Justin Williams of Schenectady, Matthew and Trisha Gray, of Brasher, Nicholas Gray of Oswego, and his significant other, Jessica Mashewske. Andrew Gray and his fiancée Niccee Harris of Helena, Christopher Gray, of Helena; and his significant other, Carli Cartier; as well as her three grandchildren, Avery Williams of Schenectady, Lucian Gray, and Andre Gray of Brasher.

She is also survived by three sisters, Christine and John Gray, Colton, Noreen Bouchard and Jeffery Covell, Parishville, and Valerie and Neal Keller, Adams; and a brother, Michael and Ginny Derouchie, Brasher; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

And who could forget her four-legged “boys,” Freddie and Murphy, who were her constant companions at home and during her illness.  

A lifelong member of the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Paula worked hard for her church, and for many years as a member of the Helena Historical Society on the annual Old Home Sunday event at the Brasher Town Museum.

She loved to work in her flower beds. Paula and Jerry were avid landscapers who spent countless hours helping family members with their weeding, planting, and outdoor projects. They also tended large vegetable gardens over the years.

Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Catholic School; 188 Main Street, Massena, New York 13662, the Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club P.O. Box 490, Akwesasne, New York, 13655 or the charity of one’s choice.

Family and friends are encouraged to share memories, photos, and condolence online by visiting www.PhillipsMemorial.com .