Dorothy Delores Gray

After a well fought and difficult battle with Parkinson's, my mother Dorothy Delores Gray, 3/15/23, passed away this week.

Dorothy was the third of four children born in Ypsilanti, to John and Berth Condon in their farm house, in the midst of a late winter storm. Dorothy helped work the fields and care for the chickens.

Dorothy was an athletic "tomboy". She attended school in town, with the professor's children where she felt compelled to prove she belonged.

As a teenage girl she loved to attend formal dances at Lovett Hall, where Henry Ford would often participate.

Dorothy married at the age of 17, to a 19 year old sailor, Jack Gray from Ann Arbor. She was eager to get off the farm. Dorothy worked at the Willow Run Plant as a "Rosie the Riveter" during the war, as Jack served in the Navy for six years.
Dorothy and Jack's marriage produced three children, Pam( husband Frank), Jack ( wife Nancy) and Bill ( wife Coni).

Dorothy and Jack were driven to provide a secure and fulfilling life for their family. They both worked hard. Jack and Dorothy formed a dynamic team that often found themselves bird hunting, working multiple jobs, drag racing cars ( winning National Cham
pionships), owning a dozen race horses or and being an inspiration to all the families on the block.
The two of them were quick to participate in business adventures, traveling North America and being a mentor and friend to a large contingent of folks from the neighborhood.
Dorothy seldom if ever raised her voice, lost her temper or gossiped about others. Dorothy believed she could do anything: carpenter, artist, world traveler and proverbial cheer leader for others. She taught her children to care for other people's children.

Dorothy never exhibited a sense of fear or a feeling of being unable to take on challenges. Twice as a Head Cashier, she cooly and calmly dealt with robbers at gun point. When Dorothy encountered a couple of grizzlies while fishing in the back streams of Alaska, she firmly stomped her feet to hold her ground.

To her dying day, she maintained a "ZEST" for living and never wanted to miss out. Dorothy possessed the ability to make others feel valued. She easily entertained others with her insights to life and generosity.

Her husband Jack, died 20 years to the day before her. The second love of her life, Laverne "Jake" Leonard produced 14 years of rewarding companionship.( and a sought after "skilled fisherman")

In Dorothy's death she will continue to serve as an inspiration and role model in living a meaningful and robust life to her nine grand children and 14 grandchildren.
Words cannot articulate my gratitude for having Dorothy as my mother.

A celebration of life will be held at Schrader-Howell Funeral Home in Plymouth on April 28 from 2:00-3:00 for immediate family, 3:00-5:00 for extended family and friends, followed by a gathering at The Courthouse Grill. In memory of Dorothy Gray the family requests any donations be made to the Champions of Wayne, an educational mentorship program:
Champions of Wayne, Attn: Sean Galvin, WMHS, 3001 Fourth Street, Wayne , MI 48184!