Sandy resident, Denny Gray died at Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center on Monday, May 21, 2012. He was 73.
A Funeral Service will be held at Sandy Funeral Home on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. A viewing will be held prior to the service on Friday from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and prior to the funeral service. A committal service with Military Honors will be held at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland on Monday, June 4, 2012 at 12:30 p.m.
Norman Dennis Gray was born on July 2, 1938 in Sandy to Anselm Gray and Genevieve (Jonsrud) Gray. Denny was raised and received his schooling in Sandy and graduated from Sandy High School.
In February 1958, he entered the U.S. Army. After his honorable discharge in January of 1964, Denny returned to Sandy where he was an active member in the Jaycees. Denny worked various jobs in Sandy while furthering his education at Portland State University and Mt. Hood Community College. Soon after, he began working at McKinnon Enterprises in Sandy and later at Consolidated Metco as a Design Engineer until retiring in 2000.
After retirement, Denny volunteered his time at the Sandy Historical Society, restoring and archiving photos from Sandy dating back to the Pioneers. Denny was an artist and he drew and designed the Merry Mountaineer cartoon for the Sandy Post during his time with the Jaycees. Denny designed and built McKinnon Goose scale-model airplanes, he was an avid sports fan and enjoyed doing woodworking. Denny was a gifted and talented man who had many abilities.
Surviving is his wife Joanne; his two children, Dennis and Tina; his brother, Richard Gray; his sister Darlene Heckel; several grandchildren and nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, 1 brother, 1 sister and 1 grandchild.