William (Bill) Evan Gray Obituary (1947 - 2023)

Bill Gray, age 75, devoted husband for 42 years to Elizabeth (Beth) Gray, died in the comfort of his home on March 4, 2023, having bravely battled the effects of long Covid for nearly a year. The dreaded disease irreparably damaged his heart but not his wicked sense of humor. The first-born son of Herman Marion Gray and Hazel Jeanne Forrest Gray, he made his debut on May 3, 1947, while his father was stationed in San Francisco, CA. From there, his parents moved to Yreka, CA, where they presented Bill with a little brother, Mark A. Gray, some eight years later. He never forgave them. Bill earned degrees from Chico State University, plying his trade as a substance abuse counselor up and down the Sacramento Valley before retiring in 2003, to follow his beloved wife on an adventure to Keene, New Hampshire. He loved the Monadnock region but not the snow, so a compromise was struck, and the couple relocated to Lawrence Park, Pennsylvania, just before the blizzard of 2017. Oops. His family knew him as a loveable curmudgeon, happy to view the world through his television. He wore his misanthropy proudly, possessing an acerbic wit that will live on in family folklore. It was his true gift. He loved to read and had a talent for writing. While in college, he didn't have time to choose a novel, read it, and then write an in-depth analysis for a class, so he made up a fictitious book and wrote the paper off the top of his head. He failed the assignment because the professor believed he had plagiarized an author's published work. He was very proud of that 'F.' Bill hated anything to do with travel, using any excuse to avoid 'sleeping in a strange bed when there was a perfectly good one at home,' up to and including emergency surgery on the day the couple was to depart on a long-planned vacation. Well played, Bill. Well played. He takes with him his love for his children: Simon G. Gray of Gilbert, AZ, Jeremy J. Gray of Larkspur, CA, and Sydney S. Gray of Paris, France. He hopes they will carry on in their grand lives, recalling ever-more embellished memories of him to his grandchildren: Maya, Aiden, Declan, and Conor. Those who will not be missed include, but are not limited to, MAGA Republicans, New England drivers, and anyone in the healthcare field. Cremation to take place at his family's convenience, and his ashes kept until summer, when they will be scattered off the coast of Monterey Bay, California, his favorite place in the world. Bill held no religious affiliation or preconceived notions of an afterlife, so he promised Beth to come by and flicker the lights occasionally, if at all possible. Coveted bragging rights to the final 'I told you so' is at stake here. She'll keep everyone posted. Private Arrangements have been entrusted to the Dusckas-Taylor Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Harborcreek, PA. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you get your Covid vaccine already.