She came into this world with grace in her name and left it with grace in every memory she touched.

Born on a summer day in Cincinnati, Ohio — July 17, 1948 — Grace Ann Way (née Blackwell) was the daughter of Clinton and Annabelle Anderson (née Blackwell), a bright light in their home and eventually in the lives of so many others.

A Withrow High School graduate of the Class of 1966, Grace's love of words and wisdom revealed itself early. At Samuel Ach Junior High School, she read every book in the library — not as an assignment, but as a calling. She married the late Chief Thundercloud Way in 1970. From that union two children were born.

She lived a life of quiet brilliance and loud laughter — a quick-witted comedian with a heart as wide as the sky. She dreamed of being a private detective and, in many ways, she became one: uncovering the hidden joys in life, investigating truth, and revealing love where others might have missed it.

Her life's work was care — not just through her nearly 30 years of service at Maple Knoll Village, where she was one of the first to walk its halls and sit on its committees, but through every kind word, warm embrace, and knowing glance she gave. She was the kind of woman CEOs asked for counsel, the kind of friend people never forgot, the kind of elder mothers looked to for wisdom.

Faith anchored her. Baptized young at Jerriel Missionary Baptist Church, Grace returned in 1986 to the spiritual home that would carry generations of her family into baptismal waters. She sang with a voice that moved heaven, both in the Jerriel choir and with the Greater Cincinnati Choir Union. Her later years were spent wrapped in fellowship at Believers Temple and New Prospect Baptist Church — where she was loved deeply and widely.

Grace danced through life with a suitcase in one hand and a story in the other. She loved to travel. She loved to laugh. She loved people. And people loved her back. She mentored young mothers, bridged generations, and lit up every room like it was made for her.

She was preceded in passing by her siblings Harold Massie Sr., Ethel Anderson, and Eulus Blackwell.

Left to carry the torch of her memory are her children: Jermaine (Yolanda) Way and Kimberly Way. Her grandchildren: Jermaine (Sigourney) Watts, Charmaine (Benjamin) Webster, Andre Fields, Myles Holt, Ashley Way, Brandee Barnes, Akilah Laury, Brandon (Kiara) Way, Katherine Way, Nylah Anderson, Cheyanne Way, and Joshua Way. And her great-grandchildren: D'Nya, Parker, Amari, Journey, Alijah, Jermaine Jr., and Nova. Her circle of sisterhood — Debbie (Nate) Harris, LaFaun Rogers, Marva Toni Jackson and the Maple Knoll Crew — stood beside her in laughter, in faith, and in friendship that time could not touch. To know Grace Ann Way was to be known deeply. To be loved by her was to feel God's love, wrapped in earthly skin. Her journey here is complete, but her story is eternal. She now rests in the arms of the ancestors, her voice joining the choirs of heaven. "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." — Proverbs 31:26

Visitation is from 10:30 am until 11:30 am, on  Saturday, June 7, 2025, at the New Prospect Baptist Church, 1580 Summit Road, Cincinnati  (45237).   The funeral service will immediately follow the visitation beginning at 11:30 am. Friends and family will gather to share memories, find solace in one another's company, and honor the legacy she leaves behind.

Interment will follow at Spring Grove Cemetery, 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45232.

To share a memory of   Grace or leave a special message for the  Way family, please click the "Tribute Wall" tab above and to the right, enter the information, and click "Save Post."

Walker Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the Way family during this difficult time. For additional information, please call 513.251.6200 or visit www.HerbWalker.com.