Harold J. Bray Jr.

1952 - 2022

Harold passed away unexpectedly on June 16, 2022. A lifelong Benicia resident, he was born on October 1, 1952 in Vallejo, CA. Starting at 10 years old, Harold delivered the Vallejo paper twice a day, seven days a week in the Highlands area where he lived. He was proud of this job. He made $15 a month and talked about it often.Harold had a lifelong passion for motorcycles. His dad, Harold Sr., was a Benicia Police Officer and the BPD had a 'motorcycle clubhouse' that was on top of a hill on Columbus Parkway. Starting when he was 3 or 4, his dad would put him on the tank of his motorcycle and drive up to the club. He was hooked. Harold purchased his first motorbike with money from his paper route. That motorbike was a game-changer for his paper route. As he got older, he did quite a bit of dirt bike racing and eventually got a Harley. He loved nothing more than riding.He also learned to love hunting with his friend Walter Crandell. Grampa Crandell would take Harold and Walter hunting and through these trips, Harold's love of the outdoors grew. Grampa also had a sand blasting business, where he would take the young boys to work. Harold often told how Grampa would lower them by ropes into tanks to sand blast the interiors! Can you imagine? Harold's dad would even let him miss school sometimes if Grampa needed them for a job because he paid them $50.00 a day!Intrigued by airplanes and space, Harold had a passion for the skies. He started flying lessons early in life, but waited until his 40s to complete them. He took his first solo flight on Dec. 5, 1999. He never looked back, earning his instrument rating and continuing to gain his twin engine certification. There were many adventures with his wife Debbi and friends, often times flying to places for 'mini vacations' as he called them.Harold was also the fun guy, the center of attention, always making people laugh. He was so smart with a quick wit and the timing of a professional comedian. He said he was lucky that both his mom and dad had razor-sharp wits so he got a double dose. Despite his reputation as a funny, crazy guy, he was truly a sensitive person. He loved his family and friends deeply and valued being a nice, kind, honest man of integrity.In 1972 he was drafted into the Army. He would always say he was in the last draft the US ever had, but almost apologetically add "but I didn't have to go to Vietnam." He said he didn't want to go into the army, after all, he had a great job as a carpenter. He said it ended up being one of the best thing that ever happened to him. He actually loved it. He would say everyone should have to experience it. At boot camp they made him a squad leader almost immediately, so he earned his own room. He learned many great skills including driving huge earth-moving equipment. He made great lifelong friends and together they all learned to skydive. He said they were able to jump from planes and even Huey helicopters just by joining a military club for only $15 a month. He logged almost 200 jumps.Harold got his General Contractor's license in 1978 and built many incredible projects, most of them in Benicia. He loved the fact that even in a small town, most of his customers were repeats or referrals. He built numerous homes and buildings around town, even designing and drawing blueprints for many of them. Recently, he and Debbi tried to remember the last time they worked out of town, but it was years ago. Most customers have become great friends.Harold is survived by the love of his life, Debbi; his children, Sarah (Damian) and Ryan (Jordi); his mom, Iris Dow (Groton, CT); his dad, Harold Sr. and stepmom, Stephanie; his sister, Debbie; and his bonus sisters, Lindsay (Darren) and PJ (Neal).He has eight beautiful grandkids, and of course, his constant companion, his lab Maggie. He was preceded in death by his beautiful sister, Patty who is survived by her husband, Pete. He leaves behind many, many nieces and nephews and friends from everywhere he went. He will be missed by all that knew him.A Celebration of Life with Military Honors will be held July 30 at 1:00 p.m. at the Benicia Clock Tower.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the USS Indianapolis Legacy Organization, PO Box 16042, Chattanooga, TN 37416 or visit www.USSIndianapolis.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Passalacqua Funeral Chapel. Please visit the online tribute at www.passalacquafuneralchapel.com
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