Obituary of Donald Sam Gray

GRAY Donald (Sam) Ivan Loving Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, and Friend Age 85 of Doniphan, previously of St. Charles, IL 7/22/31 - 9/3/16 Died of pneumonia on September 3, 2016 at Southeast Health of Ripley County. He was preceded in death by his parents, Donald C. and Nellie Grimes Gray. He will be deeply missed by his children, David (Zoila), Joel (Laurie), Andy, Celeste (Jim) Bailey; stepchildren, Robert (Deanna) Claus, David Claus and Suzanne (Jim) Rothwell; grandchildren, Ryan, Danielle, Robert, Carter, Griffin, Chase, Chloe, Stephanie, Betsy, Kaitlyn, Olivia; great-grandchild Jax; brother Eugene (Clara); former wife Rosemary; many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Sam was born in Milwaukee WI, and moved to St. Paul, MN at an early age. He graduated from Murray High School in 1949 and the University of Minnesota in 1955 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. He was married to Mary Olson, with whom he had four children, from 1957 to 1975. He began his career at Westinghouse in upstate New York. In 1960, he moved to the Chicago suburbs where he worked for National Electronics and Cetron. While at National Electronics, Sam invented and patented the regenerative gate SCR, and was named one of the top 100 inventors of the year for this work. In 1974, he started his own company, Dragon Heat, serving the forging industry. He married Rosemary Claus in 1978 and together with two of her children they moved to Doniphan, MO. He eventually founded Doniphan Steel, which thrived from 1980 until it was sold in 1995. Sam had a lifelong fascination with rivers and boats. After college he built a raft with friends and sailed the Mississippi from St. Paul to New Orleans. For decades he enjoyed float trips on the Current River. He built his own Jon boat, and in his later years designed and built a steam boat. Sam loved science and technology and pursued other inventions throughout his life. He was an enthusiastic outdoorsman and mushroom hunter, and enjoyed tending the fire at deer camp each year. He had many dear dogs and a few cats. He built a substantial and carefully engineered treehouse in the early 90s and was a terrifying wood carver. He loved a glass of red wine, a bonfire, and a story to tell. A visitation will be held on Sunday, September 11, from 2:00 pm until 5:00 pm at Edwards Funeral Home, 606 Walnut Street, Doniphan, MO. A special thank you to the staff at Current River Nursing Center and the staff at Southeast Health of Ripley County.