William F. Gray Sr.
Feb 2, 1926 - Oct. 7, 2015

Teacher and coach extraordinaire, William F. Gray Sr., 89, passed away peacefully Oct. 7, 2015 at Waterman Village in Mt. Dora, FL. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Dorothy (Dot) V. Gray, Mt Dora, FL. He is also survived by Debbie and Jim Nickels of Fair Haven, NJ, Karen Gray and Bruce Ferguson of Cleveland, Ohio, formerly of Blacksburg, VA and Candice Gray of Allentown, Pa. Bill was the proud grandfather of Bill and Meggie Gray, Kara and Kate Nickels and Eric and Adam Ferguson. He is also survived by his sister Angela Gray Anthony of West Long Branch, NJ. He always enjoyed all of his 26 nieces and nephews.

Bill is predeceased by his son William F Gray Jr., his parents Angela and Earl Gray and his 3 younger brothers Joseph, Earl and John.

Bill was born in Paterson, NJ in 1926. He joined the Navy in 1944 and served in the Philippines as a Morse code operator during World War II. He was honorably discharged from the Navy June 17, 1946 with the rank of Radioman third class.

After the war, he attended Montclair State Teachers' College, graduating in 1950. He served as senior class president and was the drop kicker for the football team. In 1947, he kicked the last game's winning field goal to secure an undefeated season.

Bill began his teaching career at Red Bank Catholic High School from1950 to 1952. He taught and coached in the Ocean Township school system from 1952 to his retirement in 1989. At their retirement, he and Dot had a combined total of 67 years on the job. He finished his career as a math teach in OTHS and as coach of the JV girls field hockey and eighth grade girls basketball teams as well as the voice of Big Red for football, soccer and field hockey games. Bill received the Governor's Teacher Recognition Award in 1988 spending the monetary prize on a new sound system for the school.

A devoted father, he coached and supported his children and grandchildren in their academic, arts and sports careers. As a father, grandfather and uncle he was always the organizer of games and activities for all.

Following their retirements, Dot and Bill moved to the Villages in Lady Lake, FL and in 2009 they moved to Waterman Village in Mount Dora, FL. During retirement they enjoyed time with their children and grandchildren, golfing, birding and completing visits to all 50 US states as well as all continents except Antarctica.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Waterman Communities Foundation, Inc., 250 Brookfield Ave., Mount Dora, FL, 32757.

A Memorial Service will be held Oct. 12, 2015 at the Waterman Village Garden of Life Fellowship Hall. A Catholic Mass will be held in NJ at a date to be determined.