Jim Gray
1958-2019
James "Jim" Gray was born on June 21, 1958 in Dubuque, Iowa, and was the fourth of five children born to Robert and Patricia Gray. He went home to be with his Lord and Savior on December 10, 2019.
Jim's family moved to the Enid/Waukomis area, then moved to Edmond in 1971 where he graduated from Memorial High School in 1976. He was married almost 40 years to Pam Elliott Gray, and their union brought his most treasured blessings, his children: Evan, Hilary and Preston. He was confirmed in the Lutheran faith on September 13, 1992 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.
Jim had a passion for automobiles, owning several muscle cars in his early adulthood, which led to a long career in the automotive industry that included working at Dwain's Automotive, Ron Stevens Ford, Burl Holmes Ford, Bob Moore Cadillac, Eskridge Oldsmobile, and Eskridge Lexus. He worked as a service advisor/consultant and manager at times, but gradually developed profound hearing loss requiring an early retirement. Jim enjoyed rooting for the Oklahoma Sooners and could alert the neighborhood with his exuberant shouts of "TOUCHDOWN OKLAHOMA!" and "GO BIG RED!". His mandatory attire to watch a game was wearing his favorite Sooners shirt and covering up with his OU blanket as his good luck charm. Being an avid fan, he had an uncanny ability to remember game scores, players' names and stats, championship wins and details to decades of Sooner games. One of Jim's favorite annual past times was attending the Mid America Ford Performance and Shelby Meet in Tulsa with his children for Father's Day. This brought back fond memories of restoring a California Special Mustang convertible and owning a Cobra Torino as well as several of the old Classic Mustangs back in his days of youth.
Jim was a loving father, loyal husband, and was devoted to his extended family and friends. He will be "graytly" missed.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Bob and Pat Gray. He is survived by his three children Evan Gray, Hilary Janzen and husband Sam, and Preston Gray. He is also survived by his brothers David Gray, Tom Gray and wife Stephanie, his sisters Linda Slawson and husband Steve, and Lori Basore and husband George, along with nieces and nephews Katie Slawson, John Slawson and wife Ashley, Rob Slawson, Olivia Minatrea and husband Jason, Anna Abel, and Holly Thorp, and grandniece Luna Slawson.
Visitation will be 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Thursday, December 12th, at Matthews Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be at 1:00 PM, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, with burial to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.