Robert Wayne Gray, Jr.

Robert Gray, Jr. was a large man in stature and even larger in heart. Strong, hardworking, loyal, resilient, and unapologetically funny, Robert had a gift for seeing life exactly as it was. He was honest and direct, sometimes saying what everyone else was thinking but would never dare say aloud, and those who knew him understood that his honesty came from a place of care. He did things his way, learned from his mistakes, and remained fiercely loyal to the people he loved.

Robert grew up in Little Rock and North Little Rock and was a proud graduate of Little Rock Central High School, Class of 1995. Like his father, Robert Gray Sr., he played football for the Central High Tigers, playing offensive and defensive end as well as center. He also played trombone in the band. Robert later briefly attended Hampton University in Virginia.

Robert was a worker from an early age. His first job as a teenager involved removing roof shingles by hand—an experience that quickly taught him exactly what kind of work he did not want to do again. He later worked at the Pulaski County Juvenile Detention Center, where he often joked that although he never had children of his own, he had helped raise many of the young people in the city. Years later, many of those young men still remembered him as stern but fair. Robert also found satisfaction in the solitude and independence of driving 18-wheelers over long distances. He was a man who set personal goals and took pride in accomplishing them.

Robert knew how to enjoy life. He was a lifelong Raiders fan, loved 1970s R&B and jazz, listened to classical music while driving his truck, and was known to sing Frank Sinatra in the shower. He enjoyed poker, day trading, gangster and western movies, and spending time with friends from all walks of life. And Robert knew good food. Whether it came from his mother, Grandma Batts, Aunt Chrystal, a fine restaurant, or a small neighborhood spot only he seemed to know about, he had a talent for finding something delicious—and sometimes keeping the location to himself. Sweets, especially cakes, pies, and cookies, were a particular weakness.

Family and friendship mattered deeply to Robert. As a brother, he was the person who would always have your back. He might be working, traveling, or living life on his own terms, but when he was needed, he answered. As Carmen remembers, the annoying little sister of childhood eventually became a sister with whom he shared a deep mutual love and respect. He was also a beloved uncle who shared the wisdom and street sense he had gained through life in his own unmistakable way. Robert loved his community, and his community loved him back. Friends, their parents and grandparents, neighborhood stores, restaurants, classmates, and poker buddies all became part of the broad circle of people who knew him.

Robert’s faith was personal rather than performative. He was baptized at age 10 and understood from an early age that his ultimate accountability was to God. Throughout his life, he thought deeply about spirituality, faith, choices, and what they meant. When ALS entered his life, he questioned why such an illness had come to him, but he also recognized the ways God’s love surrounded him through the people who walked beside him. As the end of his life

approached, Robert spoke of looking forward to peace, freedom from pain, reunion with those he missed, and seeing God’s glory. He was not afraid.

Robert’s journey with ALS was extraordinarily fast and difficult. His mother, Rhonda, and his sister, Carmen, walked alongside him through every turn. Their family drew strength from God, from Isaiah 41:10, and from the prayers, love, and support of people near and far.

Even in illness, Robert was thinking beyond himself. He made the decision to contribute to ALS research so that his experience might help answer the questions of “why” and “how” for others in the future. Following his death, his brain and spinal cord were donated to the University of Miami’s Brain Bank Endowment. It was a final act consistent with the way Robert lived: determined, compassionate, and willing to help someone else in their fight.

Robert was preceded in death by his father, Robert Gray Sr.; his aunts, Chrystal Gray and Tracy Batts; his grandmothers, Velma Gray and Almarine Batts; and his grandfathers, Horace Batts and John Gray.

He leaves to cherish his memory his mother, Rhonda (Batts) Kimble; his sisters, Carmen (Kimble) Portillo and Kim (Harris) McNeal; his aunts, Lyana Batts, Brenda Hathaway, Rachel (Batts) Shoemaker, and Kathleen “Katti” Gray; his uncle, Eric Gray; his nieces and nephews, Ashley Oyirifi, Lanette Echols, Isabel Portillo, and Rafael Portillo; along with cousins, Tenisha Hathaway, Erin Gray, Aaron Futterer, Alyana Futter, Ean Futter, Evan Shoemaker, Allison Shoemaker; extended family members, lifelong friends, his Central High School Class of 1995 family, and his poker buddies.

The family extends special thanks to UAMS and the UAMS ALS Clinic, the University of Miami ALS Research Center, Chantel Mills (caregiver), Nightingale Comfort Care, Gentiva Hospice, and the many friends near and far whose prayers, encouragement, and presence carried Robert and his family through this journey.

Robert will be remembered for his strong shoulders, his heart of gold, his smile, his loyalty, his humor, and the unmistakable way he could make the people who loved him laugh. For his mother, he will always be the son she watched endure, overcome, and become his own man. For his sister Carmen, he will always be the brother whose teasing ways of saying her name could make her smile.

A Celebration of Life for Robert will be held Saturday, September 26, from 2:00–5:00 p.m. at Midtown Event Center (campus of Mosaic Church), 6221 Colonel Glenn Drive, Suite A. In lieu of or in addition to flowers, the family welcomes donations to the ALS Association (www.als.org).