Obituary of Rev. Donald Gray

May 29, 1937 - London, England

June 26, 2022 - Calgary, Alberta

Reverend Donald Gray, aged 85, passed away on June 26, 2022, with his children at his side. Born in England before the Second World War, Donald immigrated to Canada in 1947, attended Upper Canada College, Huron College and went on to serve a number of communities as Parish Priest, Counsellor, Educator and Social Activist.

After being ordained in 1960, Donald served as Deacon at St. John the Evangelist in Kitchener before his first posting as Rector of St. Paul's in the picturesque lakeside community of Port Dover. In 1967, he took over St. Aiden's in the rapidly growing suburbs of London, where he soon became renown for the quality of his rational, thought provoking sermons.  Invited to teach homiletics at the University of Western Ontario, a developing interest in psychology lead to a Master’s degree in Education and in 1977 an appointment as Executive Director of the Pastoral Institute (now the Calgary Counseling Center).

Few places in Canada reflected the fast-changing social dynamics of the 1980's as boom-town Calgary.  Here, Donald threw himself into confronting a panorama of issues, leading initiatives tackling suicide, prostitution, divorce and family violence. The 1990's saw him move to Edmonton where he spent a happy decade teaching chaplaincy in health care and filling-in wherever his Diocese needed him.

Through it all, he married Patricia, raised four children and remained true to his calling with a passionate commitment to humanism and the goals of the enlightenment. A keen outdoorsman, Donald was into running, hiking and cross-country skiing long before they were popular and most mornings found him happily panting away at the Kinsman Center.  

Donald will be remembered as a kind, intelligent and hugely interesting man, who, despite his best efforts, never did master the cello.  His memory will be cherished and kept alive by his particular friend Ruth, brother Ian (Judy); and by his four children, Jeff (Jan), James, David (Kimberley) and Catherine (Ted); and grandchildren, Erin (Taylor), Meghan (Sean), Emma, Jackson, Lily, Callum, Georgia and Finlay.

A funeral service will be held at Hillhurst United Church (1227 Kensington Close NW, Calgary) on Saturday, July 2 at 10:00 am. Condolences and memories can be left through McInnis & Holloway. 

In living memory of Reverend Donald Gray, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Heritage, 1708 – 16th Avenue NW, Calgary, AB, T2M 0L7, Telephone: 403-243-8200.