David Albert Gray Jr.

David Albert Gray (Dad) passed away in his sleep on April 05, 2024, at the age of 86. Dad was born on October 28, 1937, in Lodi, California to Lillian and David Gray, and his older sister Nancy. His first job as a boy included riding his bike through the neighborhood delivering newspapers as he sung cowboy songs at the top of his lungs.

He received a degree in Business at Sacramento State University and later began a successful 40-year career as a home construction business owner. After graduation, Dad’s zest for adventure took him overseas with the U.S. Navy, where he, fittingly, served on a food-delivery ship. His journeys took him as far as Korea and Japan. Upon his return, it was in Sacramento where he met and married Kathleen Joan Ruff (Mom) on September 17, 1966, with whom he shared 58 years of marriage and three children, Melissa, Geoff, and Greg.

He loved outdoor sports such as golfing and skiing, pursuits which took him from the Canadian Rockies to the Swiss Alps. He enjoyed exploring the pacific northwest in the RV with Mom, the kids, and his own parents, traveling every summer from Oregon to British Columbia. He often took the kids out on the boat, instilling in them his lifelong fishing frustration. He first taught Melissa to ski at Lake Tahoe, and Geoff and Greg soon followed, which included many early mornings to “get to the slopes first” followed by a lunch of tuna sandwiches in the ski lodge. He and Mom developed lasting friendships with the parents at the local youth ice hockey club, and dedicated countless weekends to traveling with the other hockey families as the boys played throughout the state. He followed in his mother’s aviation footsteps, becoming a licensed pilot and flying the kids around in his Cessna plane for breakfast at the Nut Tree.

After the kids left home, Dad and Mom moved up the road to Orangevale, where they became grandparents to Melissa’s daughter, Samantha. Dad continued building homes while also pursuing a new hobby in cycling, attending events with his friends as far away as Iowa. He continued his RV migrations, heading south for the winter to Arizona, where he met new friends and explored new areas. He spent his last years staying social, attending luncheons with his fraternity brothers, meeting buddies at the coffee shop, and working as a dealership driver. He will forever be remembered for his generally cheerful and friendly disposition, passion for life (and food), and instilling that passion in his kids.

He was preceded in death by his mother Lillian and his father David. He is survived by his wife Kathleen; children Melissa (Rick), Geoff (Lisa), and Greg (Genevieve); sister Nancy and her daughters Pam and Kathryn; granddaughter Samantha and her father Scott.