Gary Robert Gray

Gary Robert Gray was born on May 18, 1937 in Portland, Oregon to Elmer and Mabel Gray as the second of three sons.

Gary lived in Hillsboro for his whole life. He graduated from Hillsboro High School. After high school, he would commute up to Seattle to work at Boeing for three years. After working for Boeing, he began working at the General Electric Apparatus Service Shop in Northwest Portland, where he repaired industrial motors and breaker panels for the next 40 years.

Gary was married to Elisabeth Hampton Gray for 17 years and then to Nancy Gray for 42 years. He had six children and seven grandchildren. He is survived by his wife Nancy, brother Roger, and his children Matthew, Mark, Marvin, Melissa, Jonathan, and Christopher.

In his spare time, Gary enjoyed gardening, working on cars, camping, beach trips, and tinkering with projects around the house. Gifted with handyman and electrical skills, Gary would frequently work on little projects, once wiring a solar powered lighting system inside his house. When he was not working on his own house, Gary would help others with projects on their houses.

Gary loved Jesus and he loved people. He was an ordained minister who served in prison ministries for several years, focusing primarily on the South Fork Prison Camp in Tillamook, Oregon. He was also very active in every church he attended. He would always find ways to help out, serving as greeter, usher, Sunday school teacher, youth group leader, and facilities person throughout the years.

Gary's passion for service extended beyond his church roles. He would not hesitate to help anyone who needed help. He was a husband, father, mentor, and caretaker, and he will be greatly missed.

In memory of Gary, his family has set up note cards in the Fellowship Hall. After the service, please share any memories you have of Gary on these cards. Gary frequently performed acts of service for others, and the family would greatly appreciate reading about how he touched your lives.