Richard William Gray

Richard Gray proudly served as a Colonel in the U.S. Army and was a veteran of both Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm. In addition, he had a career of service to the state governments of North Dakota and Louisiana. In his various governmental roles in North Dakota, he was instrumental in the launch of several important initiatives related to energy conservation, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Sheltering Grants (ESG), Manufactured Housing and Inspection Programs, Renaissance Zone, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Supplemental to his state role, he also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS). Richard was also recruited as a key member of the initial team assembled to stand up the State of Louisiana disaster recovery unit, which was formed in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In his role with the state, he was well regarded for his contributions as the Director of Compliance and Monitoring where he was directly responsible for oversight of 1,400 CDBG disaster-recovery-funded projects and development of the Louisiana Disaster CDBG Grantee Administrative Manual. As a Director, he will be remembered fondly as a mentor, friend, and honorable public servant for his dedication to the state’s recovery efforts resulting from multiple disasters. Most importantly, Richard was a devoted husband to his wife Lucia Gray and father to Steven William Gray who both preceded him in death. He is survived by many self-appointed family members and life-long friends as well as his beloved dog, Buster, who now resides with Beaux in Maurepas, LA. Visitation will be held on December 11, 2020 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am followed by a memorial service at 11:00 am to honor and celebrate Richard’s life at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name at www.st jude.org or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.