Ernest Everett Gray ... had a love for travel; at 87

OXFORD, Maine - Ernest Everett Gray, 87, died on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, at Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway after a brief illness.

He was born March 3, 1935 in Rochester, N.H., the son of John I. and Evelyn M. (Greene) Gray. Ernest has resided in Oxford for the past year and a half, previously living in Pownal. Ernest will be best remembered for his faith in God, his vitality, and his sense of adventure.

Ernest graduated from Spaulding High School in 1953. After high school he served in the Navy for four years, and then began his Civil Service career in 1958, from which he retired in 1995. After his retirement from the government, Ernest continued to work assisting small businesses in Southern Maine for the next 23 years when he fully retired in 2018.

Above all else in this world, Ernest loved his family. He met his beloved wife, Maria, when he was stationed in Guam, and their adventures together began. Their love for travel took them and their family on several road trips across the U.S. and to live in faraway places including Puerto Rico and Iceland. In 2008, Ernest and Maria went on the adventure of a lifetime, a Pilgrimage to Israel where they were baptized in the River Jordan.

Ernest is survived by his wife of 50 years, Maria (Reyes) Gray, his children Valentino Gray of Portland, Ernest Gray Jr. and wife Darlene of Oxford, Liza Gaecklein and husband Rick of Brunswick, Evelyn Johnston and husband James of Londonderry, N.H., Walter Gray of Guam, and Edward Atkinson of Washington; his grandchildren Christopher Schultz and wife Nikki, Anthony Schultz, Seth Robinson, Everett Gray, Andrea Johnston, Benjamin Johnston, and Emily Johnston. His great grandson Owen H. Schultz, and a great grandson on the way. He also leaves several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is predeceased by his parents John and Evelyn Gray, sister Marjorie Gray, and brothers William and Stanley Gray.