Terry Dean Gray

Terry Dean Gray was born Sunday, May 13th, 1951 in Fairview, Oklahoma to Cecil Dean Gray and Peggy Ganell (Grothe) Gray.
He departed from this life at Select Specialty Hospital on Wednesday, December 7th, 2022 after several months battling a spinal issue at 71 years of age. Before his health began to decline he was living in Mustang, Oklahoma where he relocated from Canton after the passing of his father in 2019.
Terry attended Canton Public Schools graduating with the class of 1969. He played sports and was a born athlete playing for CHS. Lightning fast. he could move the ball down the field.
He was preceded in death by his grandfathers Jim Grothe and Lawrence MacGregor Gray, and grandmothers Delta Maxine (Waddle) Grothe Jackson (2017) and Nancy Queen Elvira White, his mother Peggy Ganell Gray (1994), his father Cecil Dean Gray (2019), his only two brothers Gary Gene Gray (2021), John Gregory Gray (2020), one nephew William (Billy) Dean Gray (2021), one brother-in-law, Charles Albert Hoffman (2021), and one granddaughter-in-law, Sabrina Chantelle (Reeves) Gray (2021), cousin Craig Hamilton Gray and his son David L. Gray (2016), other aunts, uncles, cousins, and relatives lost.
Survived by one sister Jacqueline Ranell (Gray) Hoffman of Oakwood, and one sister in-law Mary Gray of Fairview; Four children of one wife:
Monica Lynelle Queen (Gray) Langdon of Ft. Walton Beach, Florida,
Deann Ranelle Queen (Gray) Sage and husband, Mark of Binger, Oklahoma,
Tarah Jeanelle Queen (Gray) Lagaly and husband, Adam of Mustang, Oklahoma,
and Terry Lee Gray of Minco, Oklahoma.
Nine Grandchildren: Jonathan Glenn Gray of Wheeler, Texas; Alexis Jade Greene of Elk City, Jace Kaden Hodgett of Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, Jordon Kaly Sage and fiance Noah Murray of Broken Arrow, Morgan Callie (Sage) Hill and husband Ben of Weatherford, Peyton Kellie (Sage) West and husband Dylon of Binger, Raven Maria Gray of OKC, Carmen Alyssa Lagaly of Mustang, and Aidan Carrly Lagaly of Mustang.
Three Great Grandchildren: Sarina Lache Reeves, Jasper Gene Reeves-Gray of Wheeler, Tx, Rollin Keene Greene of Elk City
A mixture of remaining relatives (cousins, nieces, nephews, etc.) : Lori, Jeff, Candace, Gina, Jessica, Cassie, Nancy, Jenny, little Jackie, Mike, David, and Kelly, Deidra, Destry, Dustin, Makala, Mialee, Jariko, Jaron, Jamin, Presley, Callen, Caydren, Celtic, Dresden, Emric, (Salem on way),Collin, Chloe, Prairie Rose, Emma, Draven, Jaiden, Xaylen, Rathen, Quinn, Kayce, Jayme, Brayde, Jyllian, Olyvia, Linkyn, Jaxon, Rhett, Ruby,and Charlie.
A celebration of life will be held at Canton, Oklahoma Cemetery on Saturday, December, 17th 2022 at 11:30am.
Burial service will be held at Ft. Sill National Cemetery Elgin, Oklahoma Monday, December 19th 2022 at 2pm. (Very Strict guidelines, no delays, only a 30-minute service allowed)
Donations in lieu of flowers or plants are requested to be donated to the OKC VA Healthcare System, and The Headstrong Project, an organization to help with veterans with PTSD and mental health regardless of combat or non-combat service.
https://www.va.gov/oklahoma-city-health-care/work-with-us/volunteer-or-donate/#make-a-donation < https://www.va.gov/oklahoma-city-health-care/work-with-us/volunteer-or-donate/ >
< https://theheadstrongproject.org/ >


In the spring of 1951, there was a beautiful baby boy born to a couple that could only be mistaken for something you would find walking down an old Hollywood red carpet. Both with beauty, brains, and full lips, they passed these physical attributes down to their four children.
This little baby was placed in his mother's doting arms, and there formed such a bond that could never be severed no matter life's toils that stretched and tried to pull them apart.
May 13th of 1951, on a Sunday, this Taurus was coming ready or not. Head first, he would bull his way through this tough world. Throughout his young life to his last day, that Bull was his icon and stubbornness and a strong will is how he got through most days.
He was a boy's boy in his father's shadow, hunting, fishing, and sports, then grew into a man's man becoming a soldier in the United States Army.
So smart and talented, he never needed an alarm clock for waking, nor a calculator for adding. He could calculate quickly in his head for anything he had to add. Most days he only got close to four to five hours of sleep, and woke up on his own. He started his day very early. He would take on the day, come what may. He soldiered his way through every obstacle he needed to tackle long before he became an actual soldier.
With that stubborn demeanor and his momma's wild spirit to match his, she and he butted heads daily, but no one better do anything to hurt or upset her first born son or her wrath would be unleashed. Those of us who knew our Mamaw understood that she was a fearsome thing to behold when angered.
He had aspirations to become something big even taking a greyhound bus to L.A. hoping to be discovered. But he returned to his roots with a new set of goals and dreams when he followed in his father and grandfather's footsteps and enlisted in the Army. He had great love for history, culture, and new adventures. With his G.I. BILL later on, he received his bachelors and master's degrees from SWOSU where some of his children, grandchildren, and other relatives followed suit as well at SWOSU.
With a wife and a baby girl on the way, he left for basic training in February 1973. He excelled at every benchmark of his military career with nothing but superior ratings for years to come.
Being average was never in his DNA. He did everything to the extreme and over the top.
He was a hero for certain.
Airborne Ranger
Green Beret
Paratrooper
Special Forces
Sharpshooter, excellent marksman, were awards he earned.
After his first full active duty tour, he had two baby girls he knew needed him and little did he know another girl and a boy would arrive a few years later. He enlisted in the Army Reserves, but still was partly active duty at times in a Special Forces Reserve unit in Oklahoma City in 1976. He also became employed with Phillips Petroleum where he worked almost 19 years at the plant in Seiling and also as a pumper.
He continued in the Army Reserves the remainder of his career until May of 2001 when he achieved his retirement years of service and ranked as an E8 Master Drill Sergeant, which is as high as one can be ranked without being a commissioned officer. He never wanted a desk job. He loved the field with infantry and artillery and was an expert with strategic covert operations and combat maneuvers. His knowledge and experience helped many of soldiers go into battle trained as "among the best" in America.

He implemented soldier techniques with his children and many nieces and nephews. It was just his way and was in his core. He even had room inspections for us children, but turned a blind eye to the fact that we stuffed most things under the bed just to make sure the walk way was cleared.
He loved his children, grandchildren, siblings, parents, and extended family.
The last 20 years before his father's passing, they lived together and those last few years, he and his siblings all worked together to help take care of their father. Though not always seeing eye to eye, they had good times together too. Laughing or going to doctor appointments, eating out, among other things. One thing about the Gray family as a whole, is that even if there is some type of strife, when the chips are down, they band together to resolve the issue and support each other. And, heaven help anyone outside the family who messes with us. Daddy was always the first to fight, physically if need be, if any of his family was being threatened. He was protective of us all.
Our Daddy was standoffish, cool, collected and didn't get close to too many people outside of family. He was the original American Fool and John Cougar Mellencamp was his main staple in music for a reason. His children were his best friends. If he loved you, he gave you a nickname. He had nicknames for everyone. Us four children he called Moonlight, Sunlight, Starlight, and Starfire because he said his children all shined and he was so proud of us.
He preferred hanging out with his kids, and later on grandkids and great grandkids over all else. Each of his children with different features, some from our mother, one commonality is we were woven strategically together and a blessing from our father he taught us to stand tall, be unique, stand out, and never back down from a fight or struggle. Fight til the very end.
And, that is just what Terry did. He fought hard until his last breath. Time and dates were always so important to him and we have to believe he hung on long enough to depart this life on December 7th, on the day Pearl Harbor was to be remembered and honored 81 years to the day. A day to live in infamy most certainly was said of that day, and now we have two reasons to remember and honor.
In our eyes, it's a significant way of Daddy wanting us to remember veterans and remember their sacrifice.
For any of you that ever get a chance to just sit and chat with a veteran no matter young or old, try to just listen. Their eyes have seen so much and their hearts grieve for what and who was lost no matter if they served in war or not. They still gave their everything and their lives to provide the blanket of freedom we all get too comfortable in.
The best way to honor our Daddy, Terry Dean Gray, if you really want to know.
Is to cherish what you have with the time you have left, thank a veteran, stand for the flag, and never take for granted what it cost to serve the red, white, and blue.
A quote from The Ole Ranger he said for decades:
"Don't sweat the small stuff, and remember, it's all small stuff." ~ Terry Dean Gray