Marion "Jim" Gray, car enthusiast, joke teller, competitive card player, the guy everyone liked, died Monday, May 4th, 2020. He was taken too early at age 74 by a cancer that was as quick as the cars he drove.
He had a life-long love affair with peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches along with vienna sausages and the occasional bag of stale candy. Jim never met a jelly bean he didn't like.
The women in his life were numerous. He particularly fancied confident women who liked to listen to his jokes while cruising to as many car events as humanly possible. He married a spunky long-haired girl from the Delta in May of '72, Carolyn (Nash) Gray. After 40 years filled with love, family vacations, a lot of laughs, and enough cars to fill up a dealership, he lost her to cancer. Jim and Carolyn are survived by two daughters who kept them busy and entertained, Leah Gray of Jackson, TN and Tina Meyer (Jeremy) of Mansfield, TX.
Jim was able to find love again at the well-known hot spot Cracker Barrel in Pearl, MS. He met a green eyed beauty, Sherry (Janice Harrell), and was determined to call her "Sweetie" for the remainder of his life. They married in October of 2015 and he called her “Sweetie” until he left this earth.
He retired from Eaton/Vickers and Parker Hannifan after several years of service. He was seen as a mentor, friend, and hard worker. After retirement, Jim referred to himself as a “free spirit” and kept busy. His favorite saying was “a rolling stone gathers no moss.”
Whether it was taking a trash can and making it an ice chest for Cruisin’ the Coast or duck taping the head liner in a car so it wouldn’t droop- he was a true engineer and took every opportunity to make something out of nothing.
He taught his daughters the 3 liquids to make a car run and the subtle differences between a 66 and 67 Mustang. He instilled a work ethic that he knew was important to make it in life and be successful.
He had four grandchildren who loved their Granddaddy,Gray and Stella Meyer (Tina and Jeremy),
Alex and Kate Gray (Leah). They knew they could count on Granddaddy to always be fun. He provided entertainment on family vacations by pushing others out of the way to get on a ride first and demanding to take inflatables out to the beach to also “ride”.
Above all, he was a Christian and loved God and his church family at Siwell Road Church of Christ.
Memories of Jim will always include his love for his family, cars, and music. To know him was to love him. He will be greatly missed.
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