Amity Lynn Gray

Amity Lynn (Edelman-Mercer) Gray, 33, of Park Rapids, Minnesota, went to be with Jesus on Friday, February 18, 2022, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Amity Lynn was born on December 13, 1988, in Park Rapids, Minnesota, to LaDonne and Beverly (Guimont) Edelman. She was baptized at Eastside Christian Church in Park Rapids. She graduated from Park Rapids High School in 2007. Amity met the love of her life, Elgin Gray, in high school, and they started dating in November 2005. They found something special in one another, and they refused to give that up. They were blessed with two incredible children, Hayden and Colby. Elgin and Amity got married on September 1, 2012, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Park Rapids. Amity’s love for her husband and their children was evident in everything she did. If you knew Amity and Elgin, you knew they fought for one another and their kids through every storm they experienced. Family was the most important thing to Amity, only being surpassed by her love for God. She loved to cheer her kids on at sporting events, camp with her family and friends during the summers, and have her regularly scheduled dinner and game night at her dad’s. No matter where Amity worked, her purpose in life was to love others and make sure they knew they mattered. From being a CNA at Diamond Willow to the office manager at Calvary Lutheran to working as a server where she got to interact with even more people, she loved people hard, and she loved people well. When she wasn’t working, you could find her surrounding herself with the people she loved, making sure everyone knew they mattered to her. She loved helping people so much you could often find her volunteering Elgin’s handyman skills to help others, to which he always lovingly obliged. There was a light Amity carried that was so uniquely her. She lived passionately and authentically. She did not waste life. The impact and depth of her life go far beyond her 33 years on this earth. She taught those who knew her and knew of her to live with a belief for a better self, a better world, and a better authenticity. She did not leave room in life for things to be fake or shallow. To be loved by Amity was to experience the love of God. We can help Amity’s legacy and passion live on by choosing to be authentic AND empathetic. (Somehow, she held both so gracefully.) Amity’s love for God and desire to know Him were evident in how she lived her life. She pursued an authentic relationship with God in the same way she pursued authenticity in her relationships with her family and friends. She refused to “just believe” something but insisted on knowing and feeling it deep in her soul. The love she felt from the Father naturally overflowed to those around her. Without knowing it, many of us have experienced God’s love simply by being loved by Amity Lynn. As Amity and Elgin journeyed through the diagnosis of cancer together, their faith remained unwavering. Amity shared of her hope in God and her belief in His goodness, regardless of whether healing happened here on earth or as she stepped into Heaven. As Amity leaned into the arms of Jesus, she had no questions of whether she had done it right or wrong… she knew she was fully loved by God and made whole through Christ. The loss of Amity will be mourned by her best friend and partner in life, Elgin Gray, her children, Hayden and Colby, her parents, LaDonne (Donna) Edelman and Beverly (Scott) Mercer, her siblings, Tatum (Cody Borah) Mercer, Lee Edelman, and Allie Edelman, and a large extended family. After running into the arms of Jesus, we know Amity was greeted in Heaven by her angel babies and her grandparents (and probably by her sweet puppy, Daisy).