In Memory of The Rev. Duke T. Gray (December 12, 1938 – April 21, 2026)
We offer our condolences to the family and colleagues of the Rev. Duke T. Gray, who died on April 21, 2026, at the age of 87.
Duke was born on December 12, 1938, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to John Gray and Bertha Violet (Towne) Gray. He grew up in Philadelphia, where his earliest formative spiritual experiences came primarily from his mother and secondarily through his family’s church, the Universalist Church of the Restoration. While attending college, he found a spiritual home at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia. He became deeply involved in congregational life in the years leading up to the 1961 merger of the Unitarian and Universalist denominations.
Duke attended the Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Industrial Engineering in 1961. After graduation, he pursued a brief career in industrial engineering. During that time, he realized that the sense of purpose and fulfillment he experienced in church work exceeded the rewards of his work in the industry. That convinced him to pursue ministry. Inspired by a vision of the church as a vibrant center of cultural life, community engagement, social activity, and social action, he enrolled at Meadville Lombard Theological School, Chicago, Illinois. In 1965, he received his Bachelor of Divinity.
The Rev. Gray was ordained on November 7, 1965, by the First Unitarian Congregational Society of Brooklyn, New York. He began his ministry there as an assistant minister, serving from 1965 to 1969. By 1970, he had earned a denominational reputation as a specialist in the art of worship. In 1971, the Rev. Gray accepted a call from the UU Congregation of Jamestown, New York, where he served until 1974. Thereafter, he served as a settled minister of the First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto, Ontario (1974–1980), followed by six years at the First Unitarian Society of Chicago, Illinois (1980–1986). In both Toronto and Chicago, Rev. Gray strengthened congregational life by developing effective committee structures, cultivating organizational leadership, and helping launch capital campaigns to address long-standing property needs. A gifted teacher, he led adult education series on Unitarian Universalist history and personal spiritual development. In Toronto, he also helped redesign the congregation’s entire Religious Education curriculum to meet the community’s evolving need for deeper spiritual formation.
The Rev. Gray then continued his ministry through a series of interim ministries at the First Universalist Church of Norway, Maine (1987–1988), and the First Universalist Church of South Paris, Maine (1987–1988). Thereafter, from 1988 to 2001, he was the settled minister of First Parish in Malden, Massachusetts. Upon his retirement in 2001, the congregation honored him as its minister emerit.
Throughout more than three decades of ministry, the Rev. Gray served congregations both small and large, in rural and urban settings, encouraging each to embrace its unique identity and grow into a more authentic expression of its values. In addition to his parish ministry, he made significant contributions to the wider denomination. He was a founding member of the Congregation of Abraxas, served as a trustee of the St. Lawrence UU District Board, and was president of the Metropolitan New York Chapter of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Association (UUMA). He also served as the UUA/Central Mid-Western District appointed trustee of the Peoples Church of Chicago. Furthermore, he was an adjunct lecturer in ministry at Meadville Lombard Theological School.
Duke’s commitment extended to the community as well. He held leadership roles with numerous civic and interfaith organizations. He served on the board of the Jamestown Community Center – a local anti-poverty organization and chaired the Board of Trustees of the Abraham Lincoln Center, a major social work agency in Chicago, founded by All Souls Unitarian Church in 1905. He also chaired the Finance Committee of Hyde Park/Kenwood Interfaith, served on the boards of the Center for Family Development in Chicago, and the Disabled Americans Rally for Equality. He was chairperson for the Metro Toronto Interfaith Council on Racism and Human Rights and a chaplain at the State University of New York, Fredonia. During 1969–1970, he worked as a community action trainer on the staff of Metropolitan Urban Service Training, an ecumenical agency housed at New York Theological Seminary.
In his leisure time, he enjoyed jazz, symphonic music, theatre, cinema, and delighted in exploring new restaurants. He was fascinated by railways, maps, and geography.
Duke is survived by his children, Theodore “Ted” Gray (Julia) and Arthur Gray; his grandchildren, Lillian, Emalyn, Aaric, Eleana, and Thomas Gray; his sisters-in-law, Ann-Jane Wong and Bridget Hughes; his brother-in-law, Ronald Carter; his nephews, Richard Rogers (Jackie) and Mark Rogers (Judy); and his great-nieces and great-nephew, Julie, Becky, Heather, and Matthew. He was preceded in death by his wife, Gloria Evadnee (Carter) Gray.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the charity of one’s own choosing.
Notes of condolence may be shared here.