Michael Lynn Gray

April 17, 1956 - Dec. 6, 2020

Posted

Michael Lynn Gray was born April 17, 1956, in Colorado Springs, Texas, where his father was employed with El Paso Natural Gas Company.  The growing Gray family moved to Broomfield and Laguna, New Mexico, before planting their Wyoming roots in Opal in 1960.

Mike graduated from Kemmerer High School in 1974 and went to the University of Wyoming and majored in Pharmacy. Mike’s brothers fondly remember him playing football for Coach Guinta and intercepting a pass and running it back for a touchdown.  They remember him being very tough and playing his senior year with an injured knee.

Mike married Tammy Buckles on Sept. 1, 1979, and started their family journey in Kemmerer where they owned the Oasis Bar. They became parents to two beautiful girls; Allison and Jessica.  They moved their family and made memories in Oregon.  They were later divorced. 

Mike was in sales most of his career in Oregon, where again his friendly smile and big heart were apparent.  He decided to finish his college degree he started long ago and graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s in Anthropology. Another testament to Mike’s friendly heart: while he was a non-traditional college student and had grown children at the time, he made friends with college kids, including the Oregon Duck mascot.

Mike loved the outdoors, fishing, hunting, riding his bike and playing a round of golf. He enjoyed grilling and was always a fun host and threw a mean game of horseshoes as well. 

Mike’s health started failing and he went back to Wyoming, for over a year, to stay with his oldest sister, Becky and her husband, Gordon, where he loved their dog, Jazzy and faithfully walked her every day, even in the snow.  This was a special time for Mike and his many siblings as they were all closer in vicinity and enjoyed getting together for family dinners, holidays and  many University of Wyoming football games again.

Mike returned back to Eugene over the last year so he could be closer to his daughters and new grandchildren. He was able to spend quality time, nearly every weekend, with his girls during these trying times with his health and the COVID-19 rules. He loved watching Marcus run around and his eyes lit up when Marcus called him “Grampa.”  Mike, was able to meet his second grandchild, sweet Sydney who is now just 10 weeks old.

Mike is preceded in death by his brother, Billy, and his parents, Alice and Bill Gray. He is survived by his daughters, Allison Meek (Tim), and Jessica Coolidge (Dustin);  his grandson, Marcus Meek; and granddaughter Sydney Coolidge. Mike is also survived by his siblings Becky Taylor (Gordon), Kathy Bunger (Bob), Eva Lamp (Mike), Leo Gray (Brenda), Chris Gray (Diane), Frank Gray (Laurie) and Phil Gray.