William Dennis Gray

William Dennis Gray passed away on Monday, November 20, 2023, less than a month after his 80th birthday in Austin, Texas. He was born on the 26th of October, 1943 in Dallas, Texas to the late William Ramsay Gray & Agatha Joan (Pappa) Gray, later moving to San Antonio in 1949. He was their first child and enjoyed a life-long relationship with his younger siblings, David and Jean (Boo). She is now the sole survivor of this family, as their brother, David passed in 2015. He spent the majority of his life living in San Antonio, graduating from Jefferson High School in 1961 before moving to Austin to attend college. He graduated from the University of Texas in 1972 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and settled back in San Antonio in 1977. He was a man of many names, with his family and old friends calling him Dennis to differentiate him from his father and nephew of the same name. For most he met in later life, he preferred to be called Bill, although sometimes he also was known as Doc, and to his kids, he was always known as Papa. Bill was an adventurous man, traveling the world while scuba diving and fishing, going to exotic locations such as Australia, South America, Alaska & the Caribbean, to name a few. He was an avid outdoorsman and conservationist, spending as much time as he could hunting, fishing and just generally enjoying nature. Many cold winter mornings were spent sitting in a deer blind at his brother’s ranch with one of his children or David’s grandkids, just waiting for the big buck to appear. Bill also loved sports, whether it was playing or watching – many a morning was spent on a tennis court, playing with the 50+ group. He spoke with gusto when describing his days as a high school football player and how much the game changed in the next 60 years. He was quite smart and a little bit devilish in displaying his competitive bent – in Monopoly, checkers, chess, poker – only to be humbled on the golf course. He looked forward to every autumn as that meant the start of college football and he would watch his beloved UT Longhorns faithfully every week, regardless of whether it was a good season. He especially enjoyed the numerous games he watched with his son Scott (and that it was an excuse to eat popcorn). Bill had so many interests in a lot of different fields, including cave exploration, computers (when they still took up a whole room!), fix-it projects particularly with cars, outdoor activities, traveling, and spending time with family & friends. He even got his private-pilots license and flew over the Texas Hill Country with glee, taking his Dad with him on two occasions while his brother, sister & mother cautiously stayed-put firmly on the ground. He also loved to take his kids up in the air, always encouraging them to be adventurous in their hobbies and interests. He also relished spending quality time with his family at his brother’s ranch, as well as the beach in Port Aransas, teaching his kids to fish & tirelessly untangling lines for them. In his later years, he still enjoyed doing the unusual & in 2014, he won the title of ‘Best Beard in San Antonio’, beating out all of the flashy hipsters and in true William Dennis fashion flashed his support for his beloved UT Longhorns with a Hook ‘Em to the crowd when he was crowned the Grand Champion! Bill moved from San Antonio to Austin in 2019 and lived at the Clairmont Retirement Community where he enjoyed his daily full British-ish breakfast, companionship and close proximity to his children. He also loved visiting with his daughters’ cats & giving them skritches & treats (particularly Miko) as often as he could. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother David Stanley Gray & sister-in-law Deborah Gray. He is survived by his sister Jean “Boo” Gray & husband Dave Rinaldo, his daughter, Elizabeth Dawn Gray & wife Teresa Simpson, son W Scott Gray, as well as their mother, Gail Hartfield Gray. Additionally, he is survived by nephews William Gray & wife LouAnn, David L. Gray & wife Jeannie and Monte Gray, along with numerous grand-nephews & grand-nieces, cousins and extended family. According to his wishes, a small private ceremony will be held at a later date to spread his ashes with his brother’s and parents’. In lieu of flowers, for any that wish to make a tribute donation, the family requests contributions be made to Texas Parks & Wildlife, as he was an avid outdoorsman, sportsman and conservationist. Texas Parks & Wildlife: https://secure2.convio.net/pwft/site/Donation2?df_id=1962&1962.donation=form1

William Dennis Gray

October 26, 1943 - November 20, 2023