James Vincent Gray, 95, of Clifton passed away peacefully on Monday, October 1, 2018, with his family at his bedside, at Bickford House in Bourbonnais. James was born on April 9, 1923 in Ashkum, the son of Bernard and Minnie Webber Gray. He attended school in Ashkum and Cullom. James married Lois Smith on April 25, 1950 and they had six daughters and one son; Linda (Jerry) Bartusch of North Carolina, Janet (Roger) Cast of Bradley, Judy (Gary) Kolesar of Manteno, Joyce Timmerman of Pontiac, Carol (Steve) Kolesar of Manteno, Carla (Dan) BeDell of North Carolina and Dale (Patricia) Gray of Clifton; 21 grandchildren; 34 great-grandchildren; 5 great-great-grandchildren, and two brothers, Paul Gray of Cullom and Gerald Gray of Ashkum.
In addition to his wife and parents, he was also preceded in death by a daughter, a granddaughter and a great granddaughter, three brothers and two sisters.
James farmed all of his life in the Ashkum, Cullom and Essex areas. During WWII he started his own trucking company hauling steel throughout the war years. Later he went to work for A.O. Smith Corp. and remained there until his retirement. James loved traveling, was an avid sports fan and most of all he really loved spending time with his family.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Friday, October 5, 2018 at St. Peters Catholic Church in Clifton, the Rev. Douglas Hauber will officiate. Friends may call at the Knapp Funeral Home in Clifton on Thursday from 4 until 8 pm. Burial will be in St. Peters Catholic Cemetery at Clifton. The family requests that memorials be only in the form of a gift for St. Peters Catholic Church in Clifton.
