Posted on: July 3rd, 2023

Grant Gray: 2 Dec. 1941 – 9 June 2023

A long-time resident of Gold Hill, Grant Gray recently passed away.  He was fully engaged in life until his last few weeks.  Grant was in the midst of installing a large solar array on his property in Marble Canyon AZ, helped by his lifelong friends.  Grant was also fixing the pool, playing with his dog Che, working on a project with a company called SpecOps and making sure Mary, his beloved wife of 37 years, was happy and loved.

Grant experienced some breathing problems which resulted in a short hospital stay in May.  He had an appointment with his cardiologist in June and was admitted to the hospital on June 8^th.  Grant died in the early morning on June 9^th of complications resulting in heart failure. 

Grant moved to Gold Hill in the late 1960s bartending at the Gold Hill Inn while attending CU through graduate school.  He rented the “Brown House” from the Finns and moved to his little cabin on Gold Hill’s east side. Grant learned how to make a “Kirby Bump” from the master himself, Frank Finn, and delighted in sharing outrageous stories of the “Old Days” in Gold Hill.  He loved Gold Hill second only to the Grand Canyon, where he worked part time for Moki Mac River expeditions. Most of Grant’s 40-year white water rafting career was spent taking customers and friends through the Grand Canyon, often serenading them with his guitar.  Grant’s other career was as a weather radar engineer, mostly for the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).  He designed and helped build many weather radar systems and extensively traveled the world on weather research projects, the final one was in Taiwan last year.

Grant was a man who loved and respected women.  He embraced family and friends.  Mary’s family has lots of brothers, sisters, brother-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews and he loved them all. Grant was a man of learning who listened carefully and learned from everyone.  His kind heart and generosity made him an extraordinary person who loved life and lived it to the fullest. He will be forever in our hearts.

A memorial will be held in Gold Hill in the future at a time TBD.