Obituary of James W. Gray

Jim W. Gray Jim was the one with beautiful blue eyes and a broad smile. He always considered that you were entitled to his opinion and he freely shared it. He loved his Lord, his wife and life. He was a child of God who is now home with his Father in Heaven. Jim was born in Clermont, Indiana, near Indianapolis on April 3, 1931, Good Friday that year. He grew up in a red brick house in Acton, another small town near Indianapolis, traveling by bus into the big city for piano lessons, movies and shopping with his mother. After high school he left home for college, but soon joined the Air Force during the Korean Conflict. He became an instructor of instrument navigation for pilots. After a four-year enlistment, he attended DeVry Institute in Chicago to become a TV and electronics technician. Eventually he found his way to San Diego where General Dynamics hired him on the spot. His career finally settled as a technical writer for Northrop Corporation. He even got to witness an Atlas rocket launch at Cape Canaveral and meet Walter Cronkite. Jim and Connie met in 1990 in Thousand Oaks, California. They were married 3 years later, continuing to live in Thousand Oaks until 2005, during which time Jim retired from Northrop after 17 years, tended a garden of colorful rose bushes for his lovely wife, played golf several times a week and took care of house and home while Connie taught school. They moved to Olympia, Washington, to begin a new chapter of their lives after Connie retired from her teaching career. Jim always had a big heart, but when his doctor officially diagnosed a damaged aortic valve in August 2007, surgery was in order. What was to be a routine 5 day post-surgical stay in the hospital became a 5 ½ month ordeal of complications and infections. In January 2008, Jim went home to continue his recuperation. He got much healthier and stronger, but never regained enough strength to swing his golf clubs and do all he wanted with his landscaping. Jim and Connie traveled several times during 2008, a day trip to Mt. Rainier, and a vacation in October to Poway and Mountain View, California to visit their godsons Gabriel and Peter and to meet their new granddaughter Samantha. Oh, they also visited Ben and Shaby and Heather and Josh and Marc and Tamara. They also spent Christmas in Mountain View, dodging most of the snow in Olympia. They enjoyed one last trip in February 2009, traveling to Poway, and then driving across the desert to Sun City West, near Phoenix, to visit family and friends. Jim loved the saguaro cactus, ocotillo and all things desert, including the warm sunshine and wide open spaces. In March, doctors found a damaged mitral valve in Jim’s big heart. Jim chose to live until his heart wore out. Jim’s heart stopped beating on April 12, 2009, Easter Sunday. Jim is now with our Risen Lord. Alleluia. You may leave online memories and condolences by clicking "View Guestbook" below.