Clifford Snyder Gray, age 90, of Huntsville, Alabama passed away on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at Floyd E “Tut” Fann State Veterans Home.
Clifford is a 1951 graduate of East Neshoba High School. After service in the US Army, he continued his education at Mississippi State College School of Engineering earning a Bachelor’s of Engineering in 1956 and becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. After graduation, he worked for the Department of Air Force at Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile, AL on the Thunderbird Aircraft program. He was a hard worker and in 1963 made the move to Huntsville to service with the civil service sector of the Department of the Army. As Senior Engineer in the Technical Management Division, LANCE Project Office, responsible for Mechanical Ground Support Equipment, he played a key role in providing equipment that met with wide user acceptance & maintained a high performance record. He was instrumental in improving system performance with the most notable effort being improved aiming equipment. He later worked on the Army Tactical Missile System with numerous commendations for outstanding work in improving the overall operation of the system. In 1988 he entered retirement and was able to relax playing golf, traveling, and being with his family.
Clifford is survived by his wife, Peggy L Thrash Gray; sons Steve, Ron (Cindy), and Scott (Phyllis); grandchildren Jennifer Gray, Charles Clifford Gray (Michelle), Meredith McElroy (Greg), Maggie Pond (Charlie), Tom Gray (Ellen), Jake Gray (Elizabeth) and Lydia Gray; great grandchildren Charlotte, James & Hadley Elwell, Vince and James Gray McElroy, Isabel Pond, Thomas, Eliza and Mac Gray; and brothers Guy Gray (Margaret) and Luke (Hazel) Gray.
Clifford was preceded in death by his parents Earl H Gray and Bessie E Stewart Gray; sister Ellen Gray Hall; brothers Bennie, James, Earl W and Sterling Gray.
A visitation for Clifford will be held Friday, December 2, 2022 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Valhalla Funeral Home, 698 Winchester Rd Ne, Huntsville, Alabama 35811. Following the visitation will be a graveside service at 12:00 PM at Valhalla Memory Gardens, Chapel of Love Mausoleum with Dr. David Freeman, Senior Pastor at Weatherly Heights Baptist Church officiating.
In remembrance of Clifford’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to https://ssv.org/donate/give-in-honor-or-memory
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.valhallafunerals.com for the Gray family.
