Richard Lynn Gray (1945-2003)

Mother: June Patricia Ellis

Father: Henry Clay Gray

Richard Lynn Gray

Obituary

Richard Gray

Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Newcomer Family Funeral Home for Richard Lynn Gray, 57, formerly of Topeka, who died Wednesday Jan. 15, 2003, at his home in Kansas City, Kan. He had been ill for a few days.

He was born Aug. 18, 1945, in Wichita, to Henry Clay and June Patricia Ellis Gray. He spent his early life in Topeka, where he attended Belvoir Elementary School and graduated from Highland Park High School in 1963. He graduated from Kansas Technical Institute in 1975 and from Washburn University in 1986. He earned a master's degree in social work at The University of Kansas in 1989. He lived in Kansas City, Kan., for more than eight years.

During his 35-year career as a social worker, he served children and their families through Kansas Neurological Institute, Stormont-Vail Regional Medical Center, Rainbow Mental Health Facility and state agencies. He was an adjunct faculty member at Washburn University for six years. He worked for Swope Parkway Health Center in Kansas City, Mo., and Change of Heart Inc., as a licensed clinical social worker. He was a presenter and coordinator for social work conferences.

While in Topeka, he was a volunteer rape counselor for the Topeka sexual assault counseling program, an advocate for the Battered Women's Task Force, a counselor for the Can Help Hotline and a facilitator for Parents Anonymous. He had performed in several local theater productions.

He was a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers, Mensa and Toastmasters International. He married Loreen Loux in 1964 in Topeka. They divorced.

Survivors include a son, Michael Robert Clay Gray, San Francisco; a daughter, Shelley Gear, Kansas City, Mo.; a brother, Kenneth Gray, Topeka; two sisters, Marcy Bowen and Linda Streeter, both in Topeka; and two grandchildren.

Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the organization of the donor's choice.

Source: CJonline.com