Alice Worth Bray Kellison

Alice Worth Bray Kellison, 93, of Morgantown, passed away peacefully at her home on Friday, May 16, 2025. She was born on October 2, 1931, in New Bern, NC, to the late Arthur Worth Bray and Etta Twiford Bray. Alice was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and cherished friend whose love, warmth, and kindness touched the lives of all who knew her.

Alice grew up in Elizabeth City, NC, and graduated from Elizabeth City High School in 1950. She pursued a career as an X-ray technician, studying and working at Norfolk General Hospital before marrying Lewis on August 23, 1952. Throughout her life, she lived in numerous places, including New Bern, Washington, Chocowinity, and Elizabeth City, NC; Harrisonburg, VA; Chevy Chase, MD; Roanoke and Smith Mountain Lake, VA; Norfolk, VA; Hudson, FL; and Morgantown, WV.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Alice was a devoted member of the Women’s Altar Guild at Thrasher United Methodist Church in Vinton, VA. She was a lifelong gardener, an expert crafter, and a skilled seamstress whose unique creations adorned her family and friends for generations. Alice also found joy in restoring antique furniture, breathing new life into cherished pieces. Her love for baking and cooking became one of the cornerstones of her life, especially breadmaking, and she delighted in sharing her creations and recipes with those she loved. She was an ardent reader and a familiar face to local librarians wherever she lived, often reading nearly a book a day for decades. Her passion for literature was so profound that many libraries allowed her to mark her initials inside each book cover she read, to avoid borrowing the same title twice. In her later years, she found joy in the stories on her Kindle, a lifelong love of reading that never faded. She also delighted in browsing online, always searching for new flowers, bulbs, or recipes to bring to life.

Alice was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Lewis Averill Kellison, Sr.; her son-in-law, Dr. Bruce Gregory Freeman; and her brother-in-law, Donald Lee McBride, Sr.

Alice is survived by her daughter, Laura Kellison Freeman of Morgantown, WV; her sons, Lewis Averill Kellison, Jr. and his wife Deborah Mabry Kellison of Palmetto, GA, and Matthew Worth Kellison and his wife Kristi Wright Kellison of Hudson, FL. She also leaves behind her sister, Elizabeth “Boots” Bray McBride of Virginia Beach, VA.

Alice was a proud grandmother to Lewis Averill Kellison, III (Mary) of Stillwater, OK, Kari Kellison Foote (Jason) of Sharpsburg, GA, Kathryn “Katie” Kellison Molina (Jay) of Cary, NC, Benjamin Worth Kellison of Roanoke, VA, and Thomas Early Kellison of Roanoke, VA. Her memory will also be cherished by her great-grandchildren: Caden Averill Kellison, Avon James Foote, Dylan Mabry Foote, Brody Averill Foote, Ella Marshall Foote, Luke Alexander Molina, Elena Kari Molina, Addison Kathryn Molina, Micah August Molina, Isabella Deborah Molina, and Violet Penelope Kellison.

She was also the dog-grandmother to her daughter Laura’s beloved poodles, Ripley, Megan, Mozart, Tanna, Ellie, Gibson, and Lainey.

A graveside service will be scheduled for a later date. 

Hastings Funeral Home has been entrusted with cremation arrangements. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com.