MARK GRAY SOCCER SCHOLARSHIP - SUN VALLEY HS

After a sudden and rare terminal illness with PML, Mark Gray passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 2nd, 2022. He was surrounded lovingly by family at home at the time of his passing.

Mark is preceded in death by his parents Charles “Charlie” Gray and Betty Bucher Gray. He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Ellen McDermott Gray, and daughters Sloan Gray Krause, Kayla Gray, and Ryan Gray, as well as son in law Jacob Krause and partner of Ryan, Alexander McKeithen. He is also survived by sisters Karen King (nee Gray) and Trudy Carpenter (nee Gray), cousins and in-laws who were as close as brothers and sisters, along with several nieces and nephews, all of whom he loved dearly.

Mark Gray grew up in Aston, Delaware County, Pennsylvania and attended Sun Valley High School, class of 1978. After high school he attended 2 years at The Pennsylvania State University Brandywine campus, followed by 2 years at The Pennsylvania State University main campus where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business.

Mark started his career at Bryn Mawr Trust then moved to Siemens (formerly Shared Medical Systems) in Malvern, Pennsylvania where he worked for 33 years and met his wife, Ellen. Following Siemens he worked for Olympus Medical Systems Corp. in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, and ended his career with Teleflex in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

The Gray family lived in the Downingtown / Exton, Pennsylvania area for 30+ years. Here, Mark was a long-term member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lionville where he served as an usher. While living in Exton, the Gray family became a cherished part of the Windham development community and made lifelong friends. Mark developed an interest in home brewing beer along with a small group of his Windham friends, which became known as W5. As W5 started earning local recognition, their hobby unexpectedly turned into a business venture under the name of Crowded Castle Brewing Company, formerly located in historic Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Mark brought great joy and laughter to Windham, W5, and Crowded Castle.

Soccer was an important part of Mark’s life. He earned team captain while playing in high school, continued playing while at Penn State, then played and refereed recreationally for a majority of his life. Mark loved coaching his daughters and their GEYA, LYA, and Twisters travel soccer teams. He would often wake early to watch international matches, with his favorite teams being Manchester United and Arsenal, waking his family with his excitement. When he was not on the field, he was cheering on all three daughters with their extracurricular and school activities.

Mark also loved joining his childhood friends for their annual summer Clambake and monthly poker games, playing golf with friends and family, attending concerts, and cheering on Philadelphia sports teams.

He will be remembered for his quick dry wit and “dad jokes,” his infectious smile, consistently showing up when others needed him, and making life fun regardless of the setting or circumstance, including in his final weeks. Summarizing his life and the immense impact he had on those around him is not done justice by a few words or short obituary. The wide-reaching loss felt in his absence is a testament to the incredible man that he was. To know Mark was to love him.