Michael Lee Gray

Michael Lee Gray, 69, went home to be with the Lord on January 26, 2026. He was born on March 14, 1956 in Covington, TN to George Gray and Margaret Wade.

On July 28, 1979 - Michael married his high school sweetheart, Cheryl Winfield. They enjoyed almost 47 years of life together. Michael was a devoted father to his daughter, Nikki and took pleasure in assisting her with life decisions and career goals.

Michael believed in the Lord, because of many talks with his beloved cousins, Byron and Loretta Hazely. He loved sports, especially the Lions, Tigers, and many college teams. Michael graduated from Central Michigan University on a football scholarship where he was a fullback for the Chippewas, winning the NCAA Division II National Title in 1974.

Michael was principal and administrator of several school districts, including Clintondale, East Detroit, Southlake, Vista Maria, and Mount Clemens.

He liked going to the casino and playing the lottery, and just last week enjoyed a trip to Firekeepers in Battle Creek following a good visit with his doctor. Michael took pride in cooking, especially his vegetable soup, which was stashed in the freezer waiting for family. In his spare time, Michael enjoyed woodworking and liked spending time with his Uncle Jimmie working with tools. Michael traveled to Australia and liked visiting different states and Canada.

Michael is survived by his wife of 47 years, Cheryl; precious daughter, Nikki of Eastpointe; grand dog, Hobi; mother, Margaret Robinson of Flint; sisters, Mary Stewart (Maurice) of Missouri City, TX and Cynthia Jones of Flint; brothers, Lonnie Gray (Lisa) of Bloomfield Hills and Frank Robinson of Flint; sister-in-law, Karan Lucido of Port Huron; special cousin, Saundra Wade of Flint; aunts, Virginia Rymicki of Detroit, Elaine Tipton of Flint, and Patricia Ann Reeves of GA; uncles, Jimmie Wade (Carol) of Southfield, Robert Tipton of Battle Creek, McKinley Tipton (Tina) of Mt. Morris; several cousins; many nieces and nephews; as well as lifelong friends, David (Lisa) Nordman of Nevada, Edward (Sue) Beavers of Port Huron, Allen Talbert of Riverview, Byron (Loretta) Hazely of Port Huron.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 30, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Grace Memorial Life Celebration Center, 4521 Ravenswood Road, Kimball, MI 48074. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m. Pastors Byron and Loretta Hazely will officiate. Interment will take place privately at Lakeside Cemetery.