Charles Farrell Gray

Former Lewisville resident Charles F. Gray, 93, died October 17, 2024, at Bermuda Commons in Advance, NC.

Dr. Gray was born January 27, 1931, in Rome, Georgia, to Charles Crisp Gray and Helen Bonner Gray. In 1969 he moved to Winston-Salem with his wife, Retta W. Gray and three sons. He served as a professor of world literature in the Department of English at Winston-Salem State University and retired in 1995.

During a high school debate team trip in 1946, Dr. Gray was one of the few survivors of the famous Winecoff Hotel fire in Atlanta Georgia, for which he was interviewed frequently. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

An only child and first generation academic, he graduated from Emory University with a BA in Journalism and pursued first an advanced degree in library sciences before turning to a doctorate in English from Florida State University. He was an avid lover of film, opera and classical music and contributed significantly to several community arts programs in Winston Salem as a volunteer and with donations. Dr. Gray was a loyal conservationist with a strong compassion for all animals especially cats. Among friends and family, he is well remembered for his boisterous laugh and keen eye for minute details.

He is survived by two of his sons and their spouses, James W. and Joanne R. Gray of Winston-Salem, and Jonathan M. Gray and Craig Gingrich-Philbrook of Makanda, IL; daughter-in-law, Rebecca Gray of Cary; grandchildren Jennifer Gray, Joshua Gray, and Mary Allison Gray; and three great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his oldest son, Joseph A. Gray and Retta W. Gray.

In remembrance, please consider donations in his honor to the Forsyth County Humane Society of Winston-Salem.