Obituary: Richard H. Gray, 93, of West Hartford

Richard H. Gray, 93, of West Hartford, died Monday, May 26, 2014.

Born in Orange, Conn., the son of the late Frederick and Elizabeth (Smith) Gray, he made his home in West Hartford for 70 years.

Richard graduated from William H. Hall High School in 1940, where he was a member of the football team. He was drafted into the U.S. Army, the same day as his brother, on May 17, 1943. He served on the frontline in Normandy, France and the Battle of the Bulge. He was discharged in 1946 and continued to serve in the reserves for another three years.

Following the service, he was a specialty welder for Pratt & Whitney for 30 years. He loved to garden and shared his vegetables with all of his neighbors. He believed in donating blood and donated more than 100 pints to the American Red Cross.

Richard was an avid sportsman and especially loved fishing. He is survived by his nephew, Philip Gray Jr., and his wife Jill of Bloomfield, with whom he lived for the past year; his great nieces, Raygan Zononi of Enfield; and Evanne Gray of Indiana.

He was predeceased by his brother, Philip E. Gray.

Calling hours will be Thursday, May 29,  from 5-7 p.m. at the Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Ave., West Hartford.

Burial with military honors will be Friday, May 30, at 1 p.m. at Windham Center Cemetery in Main Street in Windham.

Donations in his memory may be made to the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org. Online expressions of sympathy may be made here.

The above obituary was posted on the Molloy Funeral Home website.