Cecilia Gray

1942 - 2026

Cecilia Dolores Gray, retired from CSUS and long-time Sacramento resident, passed away peacefully on February 4, 2026 under the caring support of staff at Huger Mercy Living Center in Phoenix, Ariz. She was visited and surrounded by many family members in her final days.



Born in Urbana, Ill. July 17, 1942, the eldest of 10 children, Cecilia supported her mother as a secondary caregiver to her siblings until she left for college in 1960. This role shaped many things about her adult life, especially her academic and professional pursuits in child and family studies.



Cecilia studied home economics (B.S., Our Lady of the Lake Univ.) and family and child studies (M.S., Kansas State Univ.), and in 1968 began teaching at CSU Sacramento. She completed doctoral studies in Family Life (PhD, Oregon State Univ.), returning to Sac State where she advanced her higher education career as Professor, Department Chair, Assoc. Dean, Dean, and Assoc. Vice President, finally retiring in 2004. She was admired by her students and took pride in supporting their aspirations. She also shared her affinity for academia with her loved ones, assisting many of her younger family members with the cost of their education and supporting higher education as a means of personal growth and economic freedom.



A long-time resident of Sacramento's Land Park neighborhood, Cecilia regularly hosted parties with friends, colleagues, and loved ones. She frequented Ashland's Shakespeare Festival and California's Wine Country, and enjoyed music and theater performances, museums, and fine restaurants both at home and during travels. In retirement, Cecilia cherished the time she spent with her young adoptive grandchildren, and filled her spare time with volunteering, traveling, reading, and being with loved ones.



Cecilia was an avid collector of vintage American dishes, linens, and sundry homewares. This long-standing hobby was a passion that she shared with her closest friend, Lee. Cecilia and Lee, a professor of interior design, played off this shared interest, often trading parts of their collection with one another, and eventually, opening "Dish: the Shop on Riverside" in 2008 as a way to showcase and sell some of their vast collections. Cecilia was very proud of this moment in her life - it gave her a renewed sense of self post-retirement and allowed her to share this passion with others.



Cecilia's later life was impacted by strokes, followed by dementia, but she stayed independent for many years with the help of loved ones who joined her for walks, meals out, and other fun excursions. She moved to Phoenix in 2021 to be closer to family. Despite her disease causing her to feel unsettled in many ways, she continued to find peace in being around friends and family, enjoying a drink and dinner out, and being doted upon.



Cecilia never married, but she was the matriarch of her chosen and extended families. Assuming roles of adoptive mother and grandmother, she is survived by a chosen family that includes Lee Anderson, Courbet Anderson, Alana Bain, Anya VandenBerge, Amelia VandenBerge, and Aramis VandenBerge. She is preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Cecilia Gray, and brothers Philip and Robert Gray Jr., and is also survived by her siblings and their spouses - Vince Gray and wife Gloria, Sara Dedmore and husband Pat, Tim Gray, Tom Gray and wife Erin, Brian Gray and wife Vicki, Christine Clouse and husband Greg, and Terry Gray and wife Cathy - as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and their children.



In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to recognize the staff and service of Huger Mercy Living Center (https://www.supportstjosephs.org/donate).