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Gray, IV, David

September 10, 1960 –
 July 19, 2016

Obituary

David Gray, IV, aka “Scooter,” age 55, went to be with his heavenly family at 6:10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. “Scooter” was born on September 10, 1960, in Fort Worth, Texas. He was the first born child of David Gray III and the late Lalaha Gray. Scooter had cerebral palsy and other serious health issues all his life. His doctor told his parents to put him in a nursing home and leave him there, but David and Lalaha made the decision to raise him themselves. Scooter wasn’t expected to live past six years of age. His father was in the military, so his family moved often, but Scooter adapted easily and they taught him to be as independent as possible. Scooter lived with his parents, brother and sister until he finished junior high school. He was residing at Cliff Towers in Dallas, Texas, when he started high school and lived there until he graduated from Pinkerton High School, which was also in Dallas, Texas. After his graduation, he moved from Cliff Towers to AMICUS, In. of Arlington, Texas, and resided in their group homes for almost 23 years, the latest one in Euless, Texas, until he passed on. Scooter was a very caring, loving and joyful person, who never met a stranger. His love for people, young and old alike, was always unconditional. He also loved our church, our church family and God! His prayers were simple, but real. Scooter wasn’t able to read or write, but he was brilliant in so many other ways, and he had such a wonderful sense of humor. He had a knack for saying the darndest and unexpected things at just the perfect time. Scooter loved all kinds of music. He would sing “La, La, La” at the top of his lungs and would even sing some of the words to sings he knew well, all off-key, while listening to his CDs or, in the past, when attending Saturday evening services at our church with his father and stepmother to see Christian singers who often came to sin for our congregation. His favorite group was definitely David’s Sing! Scooter would also clap loudly on the offbeat, and amazingly, thereto, his timing would always be spot on. He would get so excited when the Easter and Christmas holidays and his birthdays came along, not only because he loved spending time with his family, but also because he knew he would get many presents on those occasions. It didn’t matter what anyone bought him; he just really enjoyed receiving and opening all his gifts. These are a just a few of many, many wonderful stories and memories we have of our beloved Scooter! Scooter’s health began declining within the past couple of years. He had been in and out of the hospital with serious infections numerous times and, recently, things just went downhill from there. Just prior to his passing, his father and his stepmother, Joanne Gray, made the decision to sign him up as an organ donor and prayed that he would be able to do something to help others. We have no doubt that this is something Scooter would have wanted. Thankfully, with God’s grace, Scooter will not only live on in our hearts, but he will also live on because he will be helping many other people get their quality of lives back. Scooter was preceded in death by his mother, Lalaha Gray; his paternal grandparents, David Gray, Jr. & Doris Gray, and maternal grandparents, Fred Rathbone & Anne Rathbone; his Uncle Fred Rathbone & Aunt Carol Rathbone, and his Uncle John Cade. Scooter is survived by father, David Gray, III & stepmother, Joanne Gray; brother, Jamie Gray; sister Amie Gray; aunt, Bonnie Cade; uncle, Gary Gray & aunt, Sarah Gray, uncle Burt Rathbone & aunt, Mickie Rathbone; stepsisters Denise Bradshaw, Suzanne Bradshaw, Cynthia Bradshaw and Susan Haynal; stepbrother-in-law, Kevin Breen; stepbrother, Alan Hindley, & stepsister-in-law, Sandy Hindley; stepbrother, David Hindley & stepsister-in-law, Cathy Hindley; stepbrother, Eric Hindley; cousins Chris Cade & Kim Cade, Matt Cade & Lisa Case; Betty Lynn Cade; many other cousins, and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. Our whole family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts for all the outpouring of love, support, help, thoughts and prayers that we have already received and for those yet to come! You are all loved abd appreciated more than you will ever know! Blessings to one and all! There will be a memorial service on Saturday, July 30, 2016 at 2:00 PM at Davis Memorial United Methodist Church, 5301 Davis Boulevard, North Richland Hills, Texas 76180.     Please send the family condolences and sign the guest book on this site. Arrangements are under the direction of: Aria Cremation Service & Funeral Home 1820 N. Belt Line Road Irving, Texas 75061 972-607-4400

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Testimonials

R. Driver
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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

    PRESTON ROAD
    214.306.6700

    NORTHWEST HIGHWAY
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      972-526-7410
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