Bruce A. Gray

Bruce A. Gray, age 73, of Dover, passed away Friday, September 20, 2024, in Dover’s Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital following a brief illness.

Born May 16, 1951, in Dennison, he was a son of the late Walter and Doris (Vigar) Gray. Bruce graduated from New Philadelphia High School in 1969. On October 11, 1975, he married the former Kristy Swegheimer, who survives. Bruce was employed by Zimmer Patient Care, now Zimmer Biomet, for 30 years, and retired from there as a supervisor.

Foremost, Bruce cared deeply for his family. He was a loving and devoted husband and father. His caring reached to his extended family as well; he was a favorite among them because of his inclusiveness and the kindness and love that he shared.

Bruce was highly knowledgeable and almost obsessively interested in the stars, planets, NASA, SpaceX and the International Space Station – which he regularly tracked. He was a great fan of the Cleveland Indians, and later, the Guardians, and would have been excited about the Guardians clinching the American League Central Division Championship and a playoff berth. Relatedly, Bruce was an avid collector of sports memorabilia. He enjoyed traveling, visiting new places – as well as taking the occasional cruise. Following a heart attack some 20 years ago, Bruce and Kristy began working out several times a week at the Union Hospital Healthplex, continuing to the present day, and the couple made many good friends there. Bruce could also be classified as an audiophile; he was much more interested in listening to music than, say, watching television, and had an incredibly large and categorized collection of vinyl records. Additionally, he liked working with wood and crafting. Bruce could see an item and then quickly devise a way to create it. He was certainly a man of diverse interests and abilities.

Bruce will be dearly missed by his wife of very nearly 49 years, Kristy; his daughter, Jaime Gray; his son, Justin (Jennifer Thomas) Gray; his brother, Don (Rhonda) Gray; his sisters-in-law, Barb, Lynn and Penny Gray; his nieces and nephews; his cousins; and his canine and feline grandchildren, Brewer, Stevie, Bodhi and Veggie.

Besides his parents, Bruce was preceded in death by his brothers, Gary, Nick and Rick Gray.

Family and friends are invited to call, pay their respects to the family and offer condolences at the Toland-Herzig Funeral Home & Crematory in Dover on Wednesday, September 25, 5 - 7 p.m. Bruce’s life will be celebrated in a more informal gathering on Thursday, September 26, at 11 a.m. Kevin O’Brien will officiate. Those planning to attend are encouraged to think about a fond memory they may want to share. Burial will be in Dover Burial Park. Following the committal, there will be a lunch in the Toland-Herzig Monarch Center on the Boulevard in Dover.

Instead of flowers, the family requests that contributions in Bruce's memory be made to the Tuscarawas County Humane Society, 1432 Tall Timber Rd. N.E., New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663.