11/06/2025
Marjorie Louise (Gray) McCoy
July 15, 1941 ~ November 4, 2025
Marjorie Louise McCoy, 84, of Sheffield, Alabama, passed away peacefully on November 4, 2025, surrounded by her family.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 15, 1941, to William Edward Gray and Marjorie Hester Moulton Gray, Louise graduated from Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois, and earned her bachelor’s degree in music from DePauw University. In August 1963, she married Dr. Ronald Wayne McCoy. The couple lived in Chicago while Ronald attended medical school, and Louise completed her master’s degree in music education at DePaul University.
After Ronald’s residency and service in the U.S. Air Force at Warner Robins AFB in Georgia, they moved to Sheffield, Alabama, where Louise devoted her life to her family and to music education. She taught elementary music for many years and served as pianist for First United Methodist Church of Sheffield for over five decades. Later, she joined the faculty of the University of North Alabama, teaching music appreciation and accompanying music majors.
Louise retired in her seventies to care for her husband during his later years of illness. The couple shared 59 years of marriage before Ronald’s passing.
She was a devoted member of the Shoals Area P.E.O., a generous supporter of UNA and First United Methodist Church, and an active presence in the local music community. Her students, colleagues, and friends will remember her for her talent, dedication, sense of humor, and contagious laughter that could fill an auditorium.
Louise is survived by her son, Dr. Loren Edward McCoy; her daughter, Molly McCoy Hood; her sister, Sylvia Forbes; grandchildren Kaylee Denton Davis, Gray McCoy, and Will McCoy; great-granddaughter Nella Grimmett; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Ronald, and her brother, Phillip Gray.
A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, November 7, 2025, at Colbert Memorial Chapel in Tuscumbia, Alabama, followed by a private graveside service for immediate family.
Louise’s love for music, children, and laughter brought joy to all who knew her. Heaven is surely brighter now that she has joined her beloved Ronald.
