Stanley R. Gray

Stanley R. Gray passed away on Friday, March 12, 2021, at the age of 88.  Stanley passed peacefully with his beloved wife of 65 years, Margaret, and his children and other loved ones by his side.  Stanley was born March 8, 1933 and was the youngest of the ten children born to Thomas Carroll Gray and Fannie Dell Gray, née Edwards, in Crawford, Mississippi.

Stanley joined the National Guard immediately after graduating from high school and remained active for thirteen years. His decision to join the National Guard was due to the guidance of Coach Bull Sullivan, his football coach at East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) and his platoon sergeant in the National Guard. Stanley credits Coach Sullivan with inspiring his love for football, teamwork, discipline, and determination to succeed. In 2007, Stanley was chosen as a Distinguished Football Fellow at EMCC.

In 1956, Stanley married Margaret Ewing of Brooksville, Mississippi, and soon after opened Dixie Farm Supply in the same town. In 1962, Stanley installed and operated the first bulk feed elevator in Mississippi, and throughout his career Stanley won numerous sales awards and recognitions in the farm supply industry.  During the 1960’s and 1970’s, his was the largest feed and fertilizer dealer in the state of Mississippi. Stanley gave credit for his success to God, his wife, Coach Sullivan, and Mississippi State University (MSU). One of his favorite mottos was, “You can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

One of Stanley’s greatest joys was flying his Cessna 182 Skylane aircraft. As a private pilot for over fifty years, he introduced many of his friends and family to the excitement of aviation. Both of his sons, Stanley R. “Randy” Gray, Jr. and William “Billy” Charles Gray, are private pilots. Stanley was a charter member of the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, which is still active today, and a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Stanley  loved Colorado and snow skiing, and proudly claims he introduced this sport to many flat terrain Mississippians.

Stanley resided at his home in Brooksville with his wife Margaret until they retired to Trinity Place Retirement Community in Columbus, Mississippi, in 2020. They were members of McLeod Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Macon. For almost sixty years, Stanley was active as a teacher, elder, treasurer, and superintendent in the Brooksville Cumberland Presbyterian Church until it closed in 2014.

Stanley was a 1955 graduate of MSU and received the Distinguished Fellow Award from the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2019. He was proud that two of his children and one grandchild graduated from MSU. He was a founding member of the MSU Bulldog Club and had a life-long love of athletics and everything Bulldog!

Stanley is survived by his wife of sixty-five years, Margaret, and three children: Randy Gray (Debby), an engineer in Columbus; Melinda Lucas (Alan), a dentist in Hattiesburg; and Billy, a dentist in Starkville.  He has four grandchildren: Brandy Gray Lewis, Carrie Gray Shaw, Meredith Lucas Parker, and Elizabeth Anne Lucas and two great-granddaughters: Seeley Margaret Lewis and Azalea Gray Lewis.  All his grandchildren lovingly referred to him as “DiDi.”

Stanley was the youngest of ten children and is survived by James “Jimmy” Moore Gray, who resides in West Point, Mississippi, and Fran Gray Laufer, who resides in Annandale, Virginia. Stanley was preceeded in death by his siblings: William (Bud) Gray, Julia Gray Self, T.C. Gray, Jr., Sam Fitzgearld Gray, John Franklin Gray, Howard Frederick Gray and Robert Lee Gray.

Stanley, a life-long supporter of science, donated his body to the University of Mississippi Medical Center.  As a result, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no visitation for Stanley. In lieu of flowers, people wishing to honor Stanley are asked to contribute to the Stanley and Margaret Gray Endowed Scholarship, Fund #501696.  Memorial donations may be given online at msufoundation.com or by sending checks to:  MSU Foundation, PO Box 6149, Mississippi State, MS 39762, with a memo in the check for Fund #501696.