Richard Hollis Gray
29 December 1954 – 26 November 2020
Resided in Orland, Maine
“Dick” Gray, 65 years old, passed away peacefully in the early hours of Thanksgiving morning at his daughter’s home surrounded by loved ones. He lost his courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
He was born in Bangor, December 29, 1954, the son of Walter and Gail (Hart) Gray. He grew up on the family farm in Dedham. He attended Dedham Elementary and Brewer High School. He was a woodsman by trade. That was his passion. Chainsaws and trees and building roads. He liked to work with his hands and was good at automotive mechanics and carpentry. He worked for many years as the eldest brother of Walter A. Gray and Sons Construction where he had adventures, including a near death experience, operating heavy equipment. Really, with a class A license, he was driving heavy equipment. Driving a dump truck, excavator, bull dozer, trash truck, plow truck, sand truck, front end loader, yes … a lot, but a lot of our memories are in those steele contraptions because he was easy going and wanted the kids to experience the rush, accomplishment, and power behind the gas and diesel, behind the hydraulics.
He instilled in his three daughters, and blessed his family and friends with his giving nature, his strong work ethic, an easy going patience with life mentality, his love for the woods (whether walking ‘em or cutting ‘em down), and an unconditional love for his children and grandchildren.
He had the great opportunity to travel the east coast of the United States and fly to California in the latter part of his life.
He will be remembered, honored and truly missed by his close-knit family, close (as we can be – because we are large) extended family and many close friends, but maybe, especially his grandchildren:
Heaven gained a grampy at a little past 4 am November 26. Not just any grampy, but our grampy. As we sit here and take it in we want people to know that this is the man that taught patience, unconditional love and work ethic. Most importantly he taught us how to be a grandparent in hope that one day we will be getting up at 4:40 am to go watch the grandbabies open presents on Christmas morning. We don’t know where everybody is at in this world, and its been crazy, but today is a day to be Thankful and Grateful for; for the time we have spent with our family. He was the first there Christmas morning and one of the last to leave. He taught us that my mountain was mine and we didn’t have to share. He and Kat showed us how to build a home from the ground up. He was there during our paddling trips in the bayou. We had sledding parties in the pit and fireworks during the summer. We sat in his plow truck while we went from place to place during snowstorms. We sat in his dump truck while he worked and we sat on his lap while we dug with the excavator. We could go on for hours about all the things we did. But tomorrow is around the corner and we hope he found peace on his passage, because heaven gained our grampy today and tomorrow we will have to learn to live without him. See yah later grampy. Thank you for allowing us to hold your hand and allowing us to be there. We will hold that in our hearts until we meet again.
Forever, your grandchildren.
Surviving Richard Hollis Gray are: his Loving partner and Best Friend of 26 years; Katherine Doyle of Orland; his children, Nicole MacFarline and her husband Mac of Dedham, Tenna` Franck of Dedham, Meagan Packard of Augusta; stepchildren, Ryan Hodge and wife Nikki of Dedham, Heather Hodge of Holden; siblings, Vicki Gray of Dedham, Laurie Gray and Tim of Trenton, Michael Gray and his wife Debbie of Dedham, Andrew Gray and wife Sheryl of Orland.
Survived by his Very Much Loved grandchildren: Alexandria, Jacob, Emily, David, Gabriel and Dean. And one very sweet great-granddaughter Adeline.
Also survived by; several nieces; one nephew; many cousins and a large extended loving family of really great people.
A celebration of his life and interment will be held at the Union Cemetery, Allen Rd., Dedham, in the spring.
Condolences to the family may be expressed at Memorial-Alternatives.com.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Richard Gray, please visit our flower store.
29 December 1954 – 26 November 2020
Resided in Orland, Maine
“Dick” Gray, 65 years old, passed away peacefully in the early hours of Thanksgiving morning at his daughter’s home surrounded by loved ones. He lost his courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
He was born in Bangor, December 29, 1954, the son of Walter and Gail (Hart) Gray. He grew up on the family farm in Dedham. He attended Dedham Elementary and Brewer High School. He was a woodsman by trade. That was his passion. Chainsaws and trees and building roads. He liked to work with his hands and was good at automotive mechanics and carpentry. He worked for many years as the eldest brother of Walter A. Gray and Sons Construction where he had adventures, including a near death experience, operating heavy equipment. Really, with a class A license, he was driving heavy equipment. Driving a dump truck, excavator, bull dozer, trash truck, plow truck, sand truck, front end loader, yes … a lot, but a lot of our memories are in those steele contraptions because he was easy going and wanted the kids to experience the rush, accomplishment, and power behind the gas and diesel, behind the hydraulics.
He instilled in his three daughters, and blessed his family and friends with his giving nature, his strong work ethic, an easy going patience with life mentality, his love for the woods (whether walking ‘em or cutting ‘em down), and an unconditional love for his children and grandchildren.
He had the great opportunity to travel the east coast of the United States and fly to California in the latter part of his life.
He will be remembered, honored and truly missed by his close-knit family, close (as we can be – because we are large) extended family and many close friends, but maybe, especially his grandchildren:
Heaven gained a grampy at a little past 4 am November 26. Not just any grampy, but our grampy. As we sit here and take it in we want people to know that this is the man that taught patience, unconditional love and work ethic. Most importantly he taught us how to be a grandparent in hope that one day we will be getting up at 4:40 am to go watch the grandbabies open presents on Christmas morning. We don’t know where everybody is at in this world, and its been crazy, but today is a day to be Thankful and Grateful for; for the time we have spent with our family. He was the first there Christmas morning and one of the last to leave. He taught us that my mountain was mine and we didn’t have to share. He and Kat showed us how to build a home from the ground up. He was there during our paddling trips in the bayou. We had sledding parties in the pit and fireworks during the summer. We sat in his plow truck while we went from place to place during snowstorms. We sat in his dump truck while he worked and we sat on his lap while we dug with the excavator. We could go on for hours about all the things we did. But tomorrow is around the corner and we hope he found peace on his passage, because heaven gained our grampy today and tomorrow we will have to learn to live without him. See yah later grampy. Thank you for allowing us to hold your hand and allowing us to be there. We will hold that in our hearts until we meet again.
Forever, your grandchildren.
Surviving Richard Hollis Gray are: his Loving partner and Best Friend of 26 years; Katherine Doyle of Orland; his children, Nicole MacFarline and her husband Mac of Dedham, Tenna` Franck of Dedham, Meagan Packard of Augusta; stepchildren, Ryan Hodge and wife Nikki of Dedham, Heather Hodge of Holden; siblings, Vicki Gray of Dedham, Laurie Gray and Tim of Trenton, Michael Gray and his wife Debbie of Dedham, Andrew Gray and wife Sheryl of Orland.
Survived by his Very Much Loved grandchildren: Alexandria, Jacob, Emily, David, Gabriel and Dean. And one very sweet great-granddaughter Adeline.
Also survived by; several nieces; one nephew; many cousins and a large extended loving family of really great people.
A celebration of his life and interment will be held at the Union Cemetery, Allen Rd., Dedham, in the spring.
Condolences to the family may be expressed at Memorial-Alternatives.com.
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