Stephen Burrill Gray

Stephen Burrill Gray, a pharmacist and a long time resident of Contra Costa County, passed away unexpectedly on November 15, 2021, at the age of 78 while resting at home.

Steve is survived by his wife, Hoa Huynh; his brother, Stanton Gray; his stepchildren, Tanya Zimmerman, TuHoa Tran, Calvin Jenn, Nathan Tran, Teresa Milgram, Dave Tran, Vu Huynh; his 14 grandchildren, Nicole, Kristal, Kristen, Matthew, Maya, Ethan, Nicholas, Nolan, Tristan, Kellan, Amelia, Charli, Olive, and Corey.

Steve was born in Oakland, California on March 25, 1943 to K Fillmore Gray and Dorothea Burrill Gray. He lived in Carmel during his childhood years. He graduated from the University of the Pacific, School of Pharmacy in 1967. He joined the Peace Corps after graduation where he spent two memorable years in Tonga. Upon his return, he spent most of his life working as a pharmacist for Kaiser. He also worked at Safeway, Costco, and an independent pharmacy before he retired completely four years ago.

Steve, also known as grandpa Steve, was a dedicated, kind, supportive and loving husband.  He was inseparable from his wife, Hoa. He would go wherever she went. Together they traveled to many exotic places in and out of the country.  On his days off work, he liked to spend the day in beautiful Carmel with his wife reminiscing about his childhood, showing her where he grew up, and visiting his parents' graves. He dreamed of returning to live in Carmel permanently. He loved watching historical Chinese dramas in the evenings with his wife. He loved Vietnamese food. He was especially fond of pho, sticky steamed rice and sesame rice balls. He looked forward to family gatherings, especially the big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and was always very appreciative of the food we made for him.  He was a responsible stepfather and a doting grandfather. He always remembered all the birthdays and graduations. A handwritten card with money sent by traditional mail can surely be found in our mailbox whenever a birthday or a special occasion comes around. He was a fool for his grandchildren too.  On lazy summer days, he drove them to art classes, took them swimming, let them watch cartoons and bought them ice creams.  He will be sorely missed by his family, friends, and everyone who knew him.

The viewing will take place at the Oakmont Memorial Park & Mortuary, 2099 Reliez Valley Road, Lafayette, CA 94549 at the Inspiration Chapel on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 from 1:00pm-4:00pm. The service and funeral will take place at the same location on Wednesday, November 24, 2021 from 10:00 am - 12:00pm.

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