December 5, 1942 – May 9, 2025
MONTAUGE – Gilbert
“Lynn” Gray, 82, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ on May 9, 2025, in Bowie.
The family received friends from 2-4 p.m. on May 11 at the White
Family Funeral Home in Bowie.
A funeral service took place at 2 p.m.
on May 12 at Bible Baptist Church in Bowie with
Pastor Steve Summers officiating. Prior to the service,
lunch was provided for family and friends in
the fellowship hall. Burial followed the service at
Montague Cemetery in Montague.
Lynn was born in Bridgeport on Dec. 5, 1942, and
was the only child of Lovette Davis Brooks Gray
and Thomas Avery Brooks and William Webster
Gray. Lynn lived his early life in Chico then moved
to Greenville, TX with his mother after the loss of
his father Tom Brooks, at the age of four. While in
Greenville, Lovette remarried William Gray who
adopted and raised Lynn. Shortly after, the family
resided in Commerce and he graduated from Commerce
High School in 1961, where he met the love
of his life, Claudette Gann. Lynn and Claudette
married June 2, 1961.
Lynn and Claudette moved to Montague in 1971 and still reside there this day. He was a jack-of-all trades and was an extremely hard worker. He had employment as a brakeman and conductor for the Saint Louis Southwestern Railway of Commerce for many years.
He had the position of Montague County Clerk for six years during the 1970s and was the Business Development Officer for 1st National Bank of Bowie in the 1980s until the early 2000s. Lynn was Bowie’s Man of the Year in 1997. He was part of many
organizations including President of the Bowie Chamber of Commerce, President of the Jim Bowie Day’s Association, a member of the Bowie Lion’s Club, and member of masonic Lodges, Montague 415 and Bowie #578. He was a deacon and member of Montague First Baptist Church for more than fifty years, and a recent member of Bible Baptist Church of Bowie. Lynn had a servant’s heart and was very civic
minded. He was a cowboy who was very passionate about his ranch and animals and had an incredible intuitive relationship with animals. He was a mechanical wizard and craftsman with a deep love for working in his shop. He was greatly blessed with creativity and could make anything he put his mind to, including extravagant floats for many of Bowie’s parades. He was an airplane enthusiast and was Montague County’s favorite Santa Claus. Lastly, and most importantly, he was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and boasted in the blood that was shed
for his sins. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather with the name “Papaw.”

Lynn had 13 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren, plus one on the way.
Lynn is survived by his wife Claudette; his four children, Jerry Gray and his wife Shannon, Montague, Tom Gray and his wife Amy, Dallas, Penny Romine, Fort Worth, and Patricia Vicari and husband Michael, Montague.
Memorials will be made to the Bowie Animal shelter or any other local animal shelter.
Arrangements entrusted to the White Family Funeral Home of Bowie, TX.
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