GoFundMe started to help family of former Armstrong County kayaker

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help the family of a former Armstrong County woman who died in a kayaking accident on a West Virginia river earlier this month.

Jamie Lynn Gray, 41, went missing on Feb. 9 while kayaking with nine other people on a remote section of Middle Fork River in Barbour County.

Her body was recovered Monday.

Gray lived in Hacker Valley, W.Va., about 180 miles south of Pittsburgh, according to authorities. Voter records show she formerly lived in Gilpin.

“To all who knew Jamie, she was caring, kind, strong, authentic and fun. Her husband, Wally, and two young daughters, Addie and Sadie, were Jamie’s world,” the account description says. “Thanks for any amount you can give to this GoFundMe campaign to help lessen financial burdens on Wally and the girls as they deal with the loss of Jamie in their lives.”

As of late Wednesday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $6,700 of its $10,000 goal.

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources said Gray’s kayak capsized and she was swept downstream. Her body was recovered about a mile-and-a-half from where she was last seen.

Authorities searched for Gray for several days, but the effort was hampered by the rugged terrain of the area and poor weather conditions, including heavy rains that caused river levels to rise.