Willie “Will” E Gray of Clearwater, Florida and formerly of Huntington, West Virginia lost his courageous battle with pancreatic cancer on Wednesday, May 11, 2011.
Will was born on October, 31, 1943 in Huntington, West Virginia. He served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War Era, earning the rank of Airman First Class, the National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and Outstanding Unit Award. Having an Undergrad from Marshall and a Masters from Tulane University, Will spent his career as a Project Manager in the Electronics, Chemical and Logistics Industries. While in Florida, he worked for Danka Office Imaging and Orange Business Services (formerly Equant).
Will was preceded in death by his mother, Margaret Faye Smith and father, Willie Gray. He is survived by his sister, Marie Walker and her husband, Jim of Huntington, West Virginia, his brother, Thomas E Gray of Gilbert Arizona, nephews Tom E Gray Jr., Scott Gray and DJ Sheppard as well as a niece, Kelli D Welch all of South Point, Ohio and cousins, Frances Robinette and her husband Gary, Charles Smith and his wife Peggy, Robert Lee Smith and his wife Brenda, all of Huntington, West Virginia.
Loving friends include, Gene and Cathie (Chapman) Brady of Palm Harbor, Florida, Frank Shupp and John and Samantha Stepaniak of Clearwater, Florida, James W Stanley Jr. of Ellijay, Georgia and a host of many more.
A graveside service with Military Honors will be presented at 12:45 PM on Friday, May 20, 2011 at Bay Pines National Cemetery, 10000 Bay Pines Blvd., Bay Pines, FL 33744.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to either Suncoast Hospice, 5771 Roosevelt Blvd., Clearwater, FL 33760 or St. Jude’s Hospital.
You will be missed dearly Willie. You’ve been a true to friend to me and my family… I’ll never forget your sense of humor, your love for debating politics and any other subject that you felt strongly about and most of all your huge heart. God Bless
We will miss Will so much. He was a loyal and caring friend who teased and joked with us unmercifully (and we loved every minute of it)! Blessings and comfort to the family at this sorrowful time, know that he also will be missed by many outside the family. May God provide the comfort and strength for all his family and friends at this time.
Will – I will forever savor our wonderful friendship. My very dear friend, I have been honored to have you in my life and have been very humbled. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for such a wonderful sharing experience over the past many years. My heart is always with you. God speed!
Will you will always be my sweet friend no matter where you are. I will always cherish our great conversations and fun times. Thank you for being you. May you rest in sweet peace.
Heartbreaking to hear about Willie. I had reconnected with Willie using email a few years ago, but lost track of him about a year ago. So sorry to hear about his passing. I will miss him. He was a great friend.
Will, I will always remember all the great times we had with you and Tim. I can not tell you my friend how greatful it has been since Tim’s death that you were there for me and my girls. My heart and soul goes with you and you will now be able to meet up Tim and go over the good times you had. You were always a part of our family and a dear friend. God Speed and don’t forget to tell Tim that he is loved just like you.
Will- Thank you for our friendship. I enjoyed our talks, our laughs and our occasionally dinners at Bob Evans. You were always good company to me.
Will, it was a pleasure working with you, seeing you walk down our hallways, making us laugh. You are a wonderful man and you will be missed! Rest in peace, my dear. God bless you.
GODSPEED to an outstanding godfather who was more of an uncle to me!! Love you and will miss you. Thanks for everything “UNCLE WILL!” Rest in peace with everyone including your best friend and my father!!
Dear Will, you were always a great friend to me. I learned a lot about politics, religion, and girls :). I am so sorry this happened to such a great man. You were always so fun to be with and highly intelligent, more than most with your Masters in Accounting & Finance at Tulane. You were always a smart business man, even though I wasn’t. I am hoping your deep skills in this world will follow me and learn something from you. May you rest in piece and we love you.
May your 4 years, 9 months and 23 days in the military be something to be proud of.
I used to work with Will at Danka. He was the funniest, sweetest man I ever worked for. I am so sorry I didn’t know he was fighting cancer. The last time I talked with him was just after 9/11. We talked about the horror of the day. I will never forget him.