Sadly but true, she leaves to cherish her memories, a loving husband Deacon Thomas (TJ) Grate, Sr. of the home; four sons Thomas Grate, Jr. and Daniel Grate of Loris, SC; James A. (Cynthia) Grate; and Robert J. (Ellar) Grate of Norristown, Pennsylvania; five daughters Gloria Jean (Edmond) McLean; Doris (Jerome) Bellamy; Sadie (Floyd) Attaway; Mary Grate; Deborah (Marcus) Bennett all of Loris; one adopted son Rahdel Grate of the home; a special stepdaughter Carrie (Henry) Bullock of Fair Bluff, NC.

On May 6, 1949, God blessed a great matrimony between Deacon Thomas Grate, Sr. and Mother Eliza Grate. During the 62 years, God kept the two inseparable until the Lord called her home on May 9, 2011

     Mother Eliza Grate, also known as “Big Mama,” was the daughter of the late Marion and Sarah Watson. She was born on April 16, 1933, in Dunbar, South Carolina.