Obituary of Donald Dwight Gray

Dr. Donald Dwight Gray, 71, of Morgantown, passed away on December 19, 2017, of cancer at his home.

 

Donald was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 1, 1946, the son of the late E. Morris Gray, Sr., and Jean Marie (Saucier) Gray.  As a native of New Orleans, where he graduated from Aloysius High School and Tulane University, he went on to earn a Masters Degree in Aerospace Engineering and a PhD in Civil Engineering from Perdue University.

 

Donald was a retired Professor and Group Coordinator for Environmental and Hydrotechnical Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at West Virginia University.  Previously, he taught at Purdue University and was a member of the Heat Transfer and Fluid Dynamics Department of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  He was the author of a fluid dynamics textbook as well as being the author or co-author of more than 200 papers and reports on fluid mechanics.  His research was sponsored by NASA, the Air Force, the Navy, the Department of Energy, state agencies, and private companies.  He consulted for Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ecodynamics Research Associates, Airvac and others.  

 

Donald and Kay delivered Meals on Wheels every Friday, are members of St. Hubert Catholic Church in Point Marion and were active members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) community.  He was instrumental in starting the Montessori School of Grater Lafayette and the Matrix Lifeline crisis pregnancy center in Lafayette, Indiana.

 

Donald is survived by his loving wife, Kay Hess Gray; children: Donald, Ben and Mike; granchildren: Elias, Sylvia, Meredith, James Everett, Braxton, Mark and Heather; siblings, E. Morris Gray, Jr. and James Gray.

 

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Donald’s memory to the Salvation Army, 1224 University Avenue, Morgantown, WV  26505,  or Morgantown Area Meals on Wheels, 3375 University Avenue, Morgantown, WV  26505.

 

Cremation arrangements have been entrusted to Hastings Funeral Home.

A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Hubert Catholic Church, 9 Sadler Street, Point Marion, PA, on Thursday, December 28, at 10 AM.

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