Gray Reese Jr.

REESE, Gray, Jr., 69, of Tampa and Birmingham, AL, passed away at Florida Hospital on Friday, June 13 following a 6 month battle with leukemia. He was the son of Gray and Rachel Reese of Birmingham, AL. He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Margaret (Margie) Smith Reese of St. Petersburg, FL, and children Gray (Trey) Reese III and wife Karen of Alpharetta, GA; Gregory (Greg) Allen Reese and wife Jill of Huntsville,AL. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Courtney, Nicholas, and Jessica. Gray was an only child, but a proud member of Margie's large extended family. He leaves behind his beloved dog and "best buddy" Riley.Gray was born in Mountain Brook and raised in Birmingham, AL. He graduated from Marion Military Institute in Marion, AL in 1962. He attended Auburn University and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.He served his country honorably in the US Coast Guard Reserve. He was a life-long member of the United Methodist church.He was a 32nd degree Freemason and a member of the Scottish Rite. He brought joy to countless children and families as a member of the Clown Unit of Zamora Temple, Birmingham, AL. He never met a stranger.He began his engineering career in Birmingham with Sullivan, Long & Hagerty and then Rust Engineering. While assigned to an engineering project in St. Petersburg, he met his future wife, Margie. They were wed in St. Petersburg in 1967. In 1973 he joined American Magotteaux and thus began his life-long career in Sales, his true calling. Margie and Gray transferred several times during his career, living in Pulaski and Gallatin, TN, Hibbing, MN, Marrietta, GA, and returning to Tampa in 1993 where he enjoyed continued success in management recruiting and real estate, before retiring in 2009. Gray was an avid duck hunter having spent his youth hunting with his grandfather, Seaborn Reese Young of Union Point, GA. His other hobbies included golf, cooking, book collecting, reading, and researching his family's genealogy. He was proud to have traced his family roots to early American settlers in Virginia. He was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution,Sons of the Confederacy, and Descendants of George Washington's Army at Valley Forge. The family would like to thank Dr. Egberto Zayas,his staff, especially the wonderful, loving nursing staff on 4 South and in the Short Stay unit at Florida Hospital Tampa who served Gray and the family with incredible care and compassion. He felt there was not a finer group of caregivers in the entire country. A gathering of remembrance will be held on Tuesday, June 17, from 6pm to 8pm for friends and loved ones at Blount & Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Avenue, Tampa.