Her mother died when she was six and so Grey and her elder sister, Trixie, attended Oakgrove boarding school near the Himalayas.
[1] Grey subsequently played a significant role in restructuring its health services in Northern Ireland.
[2] In 1946 Grey was tasked by the Royal College of Nursing to establish a Northern Irish branch.
As part of this she undertook a number of fundraising efforts to pay for an office for the college, including writing plays and pageants for fundraising performances in the 1950s, and persuading the Governor of Northern Ireland Baron Wakehurst to allow the holding of a charitable event at Hillsborough Castle.
[1] Grey was the first salaried secretary of the RCN in Northern Ireland and served as leader of the college prior to her appointment as CNO.