Mary Gregory, a pioneer in nursing who was a leader in public health outreach to underserved communities, died April 2 in the Portland, Ore., home of her daughter, Leslie Gregory, where she lived the last 2½ years. She was 88.

Formerly of West Toledo, Mrs. Gregory had dementia and kidney failure, said her daughter Leslie Gregory, a physician assistant and primary care provider.

Mrs. Gregory had served on the Toledo-Lucas County health board and the state commission on minority health and helped form such a commission locally. In 1951, she became the first African-American graduate of the former St. Vincent School of Nursing.

She retired after more than 40 years from Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center, as it is now called. One of her last duties was as manager of health promotion outreach, and she worked with those who had sickle cell anemia, HIV/AIDS, and cardiovascular problems.

“She was always looking to help the underserved, the maybe mistreated, and she continued to work for that,” said Doris Greer, who as a community advocate came to know Mrs. Gregory.

“No matter her social standing and education, she could go in the streets and work with the common man and feel right at home,” Ms. Greer said. “That was a testament to who she was. She had a gentle soul and a caring for everybody.”

And in that work, she was battling institutional racism, her daughter said. 

“You could not call it out. Instead she talked about outcomes and at-risk communities and disparities,” her daughter said. “She was one of the public health sheroes.”

So active was Mrs. Gregory in so much, “she always was somebody,” said Doni Miller, chief executive of Neighborhood Health Association. “I loved her no-nonsense approach to tasks. If she accepted some sort of responsibility, you could count on the fact it would get done within the timelines and efficiently, it would get done right.”

Mrs. Gregory in the mid-1960s was an instructor of surgical technicians at St. Vincent, developed a curriculum, and attended conferences around the country at a time when few black practitioners worked in surgical suites.

“Her teaching led people of color into surgery,” her daughter said. “And that’s the way she fought racism, in doing her job and mentoring people of color in the health community.”

Mrs. Gregory, with Daisy Smith and Donna Todd, founded the Toledo Council of Black Nurses in 1981. 

“There’s a kind of commitment that comes with being one of the few,” Ms. Miller said. “She was one of the few black nurses to serve in Toledo early on. She continued to work to remove barriers to equal care, equal access to health care.” 

In 2008, Mrs. Gregory was among seven black Toledoans honored by the African American Legacy Project.  

She was interviewed in 2009 for the Edrene Cole Oral History Collection. A reception honored Mrs. Gregory in 2009 as an audience watched her interview at the unveiling of the collection at the Kent branch of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library.

She was born Feb. 1, 1930, in Marion, Ind., to E. Louise and Richard Booker. The family moved to Toledo, and Mrs. Gregory was a 1948 graduate of Libbey High School. In the oral history, she described a happy childhood living in Brand Whitlock Homes.

She said that bigotry was a problem black Toledaons adjusted to in the 1940s.

“Black people lived in their area, so prejudice did not really bother you. You knew where you could go,” Mrs. Gregory said in 2009.

Her mother was a beautician, and ultimately a successful business owner, but wanted her daughter to have a different career. Mrs. Gregory was initially turned down by local nursing schools, including St. Vincent. She attended the University of Toledo for a year, and then was accepted to St. Vincent.

“She wanted to be a nurse, because she knew it was in keeping with her faith,” her daughter said.

She received a master of education degree from the University of Toledo.

Mrs. Gregory was a member of Ascension Lutheran Church. She liked to make crafts and clothing and was a member of the Sew n So sewing club.

She was formerly married to the late Raymond Gregory and the late Joe Powell. Her son James died in 1973.

Surviving are her son, Chris Gregory; daughters Theresa “Trez” Gregory and Leslie Gregory; four grandchildren, and a great-grandson.

Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Dale-Riggs Funeral Home, with Alpha Kappa Alpha rites at 7 p.m. Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday in Warren AME Church, where the body will be after 10 a.m. 

The family suggests tributes to the American Heart Association or right2healthus.org.

Contact Mark Zaborney at mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182.

First Published April 25, 2018, 4:00 a.m.