- Born on: May 21, 1975
- Departed on: June 9, 2023
- Resided in: Cedar Rapids, IA
Lisa Gray Giurato
Lisa Gray Giurato, whose fierce compassion for the underrepresented and underserved defined her outlook on life, permeated her writing, and underscored how she raised her sons, died June 9, 2023, following a brief illness. In her 48 years she touched many lives with her friendship, support, and thoughtfulness.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, July 1, at Coe College’s Clark Alumni House and garden from 1-4 p.m. with a service at 2 p.m.
Lisa grew up in Clarinda, Iowa, where she chose the family of her heart as a teenager, living with them until she left to enroll at the University of Iowa as a first-generation student. Curious about the science behind medical diagnoses she received as a child, Lisa studied chemistry, then gravitated to her true passion, English language and literature. Lisa supported herself through college and lived at the River City Housing Collective where she shared chores, meals, and conversations with her housemates. The sense of community she found was something she continued to create for herself and those around her the rest of her life.
She found her ultimate community and purpose as the mother of her two much-loved sons, August and Jack. As a single mother, Lisa based her decisions on their best welfare and made sure they grew up to be compassionate and responsible (like her).
Lisa found great solace in writing. It’s how she worked through life’s challenges. In 2011 she followed her dream—and the hope for a better life for her boys—when she entered the nonfiction creative writing program at the Iowa Writers Workshop. Her talent for personal expression blossomed. She interned at the digital advertising group at Clickstop and was hired full time after receiving her MFA. Later, at Stamats, Lisa worked as a digital strategist and assisted many colleges nationwide in branding and awareness campaigns and improving their web presence.
In 2016 she joined the marketing department at Cornell College, where she was valued as a colleague and a gifted writer, editor, and strategist. She served on Cornell’s Diversity Committee and was an integral part of editing an award-winning issue of the Cornell Report magazine in 2021 that uplifted the voices of persons of color. She strove to continue that work in every issue.
At work and at home she was compassionate, calm, and reflective. Lisa was known for being prepared. She gave a good deal of thought to how her words and actions would affect other people. Her compassion transcended humans, most specifically to cats and trees. To her, trees were a community too, and places of comfort, like the tree she once wrote about climbing that gave her the experience of a grandmother’s love.
Lisa is survived by a book of essays about her life that she was refining for publication, and the hope of opening a cat sanctuary with her best friend, Michelle. Also surviving are her sons August and Jack; her chosen family, Kathy and Paul Wagoner, Jessica Hoppmann, and Peter Wagoner; and numerous close friends she gathered around her. She was born to Patricia Neal Martin and Dale Walter Gray, and one brother, Mike.
Funds to help August and Jack with expenses can be donated at: fundrazr.com/August-Jack
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, July 1, at Coe College’s Clark Alumni House and garden from 1-4 p.m. with a service at 2 p.m.
Lisa grew up in Clarinda, Iowa, where she chose the family of her heart as a teenager, living with them until she left to enroll at the University of Iowa as a first-generation student. Curious about the science behind medical diagnoses she received as a child, Lisa studied chemistry, then gravitated to her true passion, English language and literature. Lisa supported herself through college and lived at the River City Housing Collective where she shared chores, meals, and conversations with her housemates. The sense of community she found was something she continued to create for herself and those around her the rest of her life.
She found her ultimate community and purpose as the mother of her two much-loved sons, August and Jack. As a single mother, Lisa based her decisions on their best welfare and made sure they grew up to be compassionate and responsible (like her).
Lisa found great solace in writing. It’s how she worked through life’s challenges. In 2011 she followed her dream—and the hope for a better life for her boys—when she entered the nonfiction creative writing program at the Iowa Writers Workshop. Her talent for personal expression blossomed. She interned at the digital advertising group at Clickstop and was hired full time after receiving her MFA. Later, at Stamats, Lisa worked as a digital strategist and assisted many colleges nationwide in branding and awareness campaigns and improving their web presence.
In 2016 she joined the marketing department at Cornell College, where she was valued as a colleague and a gifted writer, editor, and strategist. She served on Cornell’s Diversity Committee and was an integral part of editing an award-winning issue of the Cornell Report magazine in 2021 that uplifted the voices of persons of color. She strove to continue that work in every issue.
At work and at home she was compassionate, calm, and reflective. Lisa was known for being prepared. She gave a good deal of thought to how her words and actions would affect other people. Her compassion transcended humans, most specifically to cats and trees. To her, trees were a community too, and places of comfort, like the tree she once wrote about climbing that gave her the experience of a grandmother’s love.
Lisa is survived by a book of essays about her life that she was refining for publication, and the hope of opening a cat sanctuary with her best friend, Michelle. Also surviving are her sons August and Jack; her chosen family, Kathy and Paul Wagoner, Jessica Hoppmann, and Peter Wagoner; and numerous close friends she gathered around her. She was born to Patricia Neal Martin and Dale Walter Gray, and one brother, Mike.
Funds to help August and Jack with expenses can be donated at: fundrazr.com/August-Jack
