John Calvin Gray, 85, of Hope, Arkansas passed away peacefully on October 4th, with his loving family by his side.
Called home on Wednesday, he is welcomed with open arms by his wife, Wanda Sue Gray, son James “Bubba” Gray, daughter Angela Gray, mother and father, Thomas Henry and Mary Oneida Gray, and brothers Earnest Gene Gray, Thomas H. Gray and Daniel Leroy Gray.
He leaves behind his wife of 21 years, Peggy Gray, daughter Javonna Winer, son in law Joe Winer, daughter in law Dana Gray, four grandchildren, two stepchildren and four step-grandchildren. Born July 12th, 1938, to Tom and Oneida Gray in Bradley, Arkansas, John worked on the family farm, attended school, and led a rambunctious life with his three brothers, countless cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends, in the southwest Arkansas area.
In 1955, he joined the Army National Guard and served proudly for 5 years. He enjoyed a long and successful career as a paint and body man for the Highway Department, retiring proudly in 2001. He was knowledgeable about just about everything, but especially cars. You name it, he could fix it. And if he couldn’t fix it, it wasn’t fixable.
He married Wanda Sue Whatley of Hope, Arkansas in 1960. They enjoyed 40 years of marriage, and three loving children, James “Bubba” Gray, JaVonna Sue Gray (Winer), and Angela Nell Gray. Aside from keeping up with Bubba and JaVonna (a full time job in its own right), they also ran a local store in Hope, Susie’s Handymart, renowned especially for its chocolate pies and the warm greetings from the proprietors.
In 2002, he married Peggy Gray, who he loved dearly (and loved to pester). The two shared a total of 8 grandchildren (Amber, Ashley, Cheldon, Emily, Cacey, Alex, Austin, and Randon), and 4 great-grandchildren (Aiden, Ashylnn, Anna, and Blaklee). Together, they enjoyed many trips, holidays, church events, Sunday dinners, family reunions, and one tiny chihuahua, Trudy.
He was a well-loved and well-respected man of God, serving as a deacon at Southside Baptist Church, and never missing a Sunday (or Wednesday for that matter) service, as long as he could help it. He and Peggy were also members of Grace Baptist Church. If he wasn’t in his shop fixing things, you could find him at the kitchen table, studying the good book.
“Junior”, as Bubba liked to call him, was a man of many hobbies, and his family was blessed to enjoy so many with him. He enjoyed building cars, hunting and fishing, hanging out at the deer camp with his buddies, gardening, cooking, activities with the church, and camping at Cowhide Cove.
He loved Andy’s biscuits, westerns, Scripture, picking on JaVonna, teaching his grandchildren valuable life lessons, and he hated chicken. A beloved husband, father, grandfather, church member, and friend,
may those near and dear to him find comfort and solace in the years of cherished memories—fishing at Hansford’s pond, city bakery runs in the old squarebody, watching trains and feeding the ducks, letting the grandkids drive on the dirt roads, boat rides, lake days, pans of cornbread, Sunday prayers, getting stuck in magnolia trees, and the countless stories and love shared.
The visitation will be held 2:00-4:00pm Sunday, October 8th, 2023 at Herndon-Fuqua Funeral Home in Hope, with funeral service the following day Monday, October 9th, 2023 at 2:00pm.
We also invite you to express your public condolences at www.herndonfuquafuneralhomes.com or private Letters of Love at www.herndonfuquafuneralhomes.com/page/letters-of-love.