Waldo "Walt" Eugene Gray

Waldo was born on September 29, 1941 at Eureka, Kansas to his parents Jack and Rosie Gray of Howard, Kansas. His very early childhood was spent in Howard and the family moved to Independence, Missouri, in 1946 after his father returned from World War II military service.

Waldo Graduated from William Chrisman High School in Independence in 1959. He graduated from the University of Central Missouri in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Business with an accounting major, and from Missouri State University with a Master of Business Administration in 1981.

He enlisted in the US Army as a private during the height of the Viet Nam was and served eighteen months at Coffat Compound and Tan Son Nhut Air Base in that theater. He also served three years active duty in Heidelberg, Germany, and eighteen months in Bangkok, Thailand, and in Missouri. Additional assignments were at Fort Ord, California, Fort Benning, Georgia, and Fort Harrison, Indiana. He was a Lieutenant Colonel by the time he retired from the US Army Reserve in 2001. IN 1975 he was employed in a civilian capacity by the Air Force Accounting and Finance Office at McConnell AFB, Kansas. While employed at McConnell AFB he was the commander of the 368th Finance Section, an Army reserve unit in Wichita, Kansas. In 1980 he moved to Denver where he worked for the Air Force Accounting and Finance Center at Lowry AFB, Colorado. At the time of his civilian retirement in 2002, he was employed by the Department of Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Denver office. He and his wife both retired from this office on the same day in 2002.

He is survived by his wife, the former Chun (June) Y. Kang. They were married in July 1981 in Boulder, Colorado. He had a lifetime interest in history and railroading and was a longtime member of the Kansas State Historical Society and several local historical societies in southeast Kansas. He was a historical contributor to two Kansas newspapers writing a number of articles for each. At the time of his death, he was a prolific contributor to a web site commemorating the history of Independence, Missouri, as well as being a moderator and contributor to a historical web site commemorating Elk County, Kansas.

He and June resided in Centennial, Colorado, at the time of his death. Besides his wife, June, he is survived by his stepdaughter, Diane M. Cannon, Denver, Colorado. He is also survived by one sister, Connie Rockstad of Concrete, Washington. His father passed away in 2006 and his mother in 2013.

Burial will be at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.