Our beloved father, Gordon Cecil “Moose” Gray, B. COM, FCA, CPM, FRI, DBa (Hon), PhD (Hon), O. ONT, CM, passed peacefully at his home in Richmond Hill, in the early morning of May 19th, just shy of his 97th birthday. Wonderful husband and best friend of Patricia (nee Godson) for 68 years, fantastic father to Donald (Jodie), David (Susan), Diane, Douglas (Caroline), Deborah, grandfather to Alexa (Shawn), Tara (Eric), Gordon, Morgan, Damian, Gray, Robin, Quinton, legendary great grandfather of Graydon, Jackson, Tait and Isabella, and favourite uncle of Judy (Jim) and Ann (Cam).
He was born on October 24, 1927, in Copper Cliff Ontario.
He graduated from Queen's University in 1950 with a Commerce degree, then joined Price Waterhouse, becoming a Chartered Accountant in 1953, later being honored as a Fellow of the Institute of CA's.
In 1955 he became Controller of A.E.LePage, a small (35 employees) realty brokerage firm in Toronto, rising to Chairman and CEO. In 1984, he merged LePage with the brokerage operations of Royal Trust, to form Royal LePage. By the time of Gordon's retirement in 1994 the firm had 12,000 agents, and was the largest in Canada, with a 20% interest in Coldwell Banker, the dominant US Broker.
In 1960, he graduated first as a Fellow of the Real Estate Institute of Canada.
In 1975 he was inducted as a Knight of Malta.
He became heavily involved in the growth of Toronto's business district, playing a major role in the development of major office buildings, including the Toronto Dominion Centre and Royal Bank Plaza. One of Gordon’s greatest achievements in business was persuading TD Bank that Toronto would, indeed, be a great home for the first NY-style skyscraper in the British Commonwealth.
He was a Director of numerous companies including Abitibi, Canadian Gypsum, Consumers’ Gas, Crown Life, Hiram Walker, Markborough Properties, McDonald's Corp. (for 25 years only non-American to ever serve on the parent’s Board), Omers Realty, Rio Algom, Rogers Communications, Royal Insurance, Toronto Dominion Bank, Triton Financial and others.
He was also on the Board and active in many Charitable organizations including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Council on Drug Abuse, Joe Kennedy’s Canadian Foundation, Council for Canadian Unity, Duke of Edinburgh's Charter for Business and the Hospital for Sick Children.
With Rio Algom, he served as a Director for 15 years then became Executive Chairman in 1991 and CEO in 1996.
In 1997, Gordon was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration by Laurentian University.
In 2002, he was honored with the Rex award for Real Estate Excellence for Lifetime Achievement by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP).
In 2003, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by Queen’s University.
In 2006, Gordon and Patricia established a Chair in Particle Astrophysics at Queen’s University. This resulted in Dr. Art McDonald receiving the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics.
In 2009, Gordon was awarded the Order of Ontario.
In 2018, Gordon was awarded the Order of Canada.
In 2020 Gordon was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.
Tireless philanthropists, Gordon and Patricia established the Gordon and Patricia Gray Animal Welfare Foundation, which since 2010 has supported over 60 Canadian and international wildlife charities.
In addition to his family and charitable work, Gordon’s passions included all sports he - was national high jump champion while at high school, he met Patricia while visiting Toronto to compete in a badminton tournament, and was an avid water skier, golfer, aviator and fly fisherman.
“Moose” was a valued advisor and confidante to each of his children and grandchildren. He was also a world class raconteur, with a fantastic sense of humour, who kept a room spellbound for hours! Whether at home in Toronto, his much-loved cottage on Muldrew Lake, or his winter home at the Loxahatchee Club in Florida, he was a major presence wherever he was, and his loss will present a hole that will never be filled.
Gordon will be cremated and a private family service will be held. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Loxahatchee Club in Florida, TBD. The family wishes to send a special thank you to the all the wonderful Doctors, Nurses, caregivers, and service providers for their care and compassion.
To honour his memory, donations can be made to the Loxahatchee Club Educational Foundation (https://www.theloxahatcheeclub.org/files/LEF%20Donation%20Card%202024.pdf ) or please call 561-744-6168 for information on donating, or Loggerhead Marinelife Center www.marinelife.org in Juno Beach. Condolences may be offered to the family at gordon.gray.family@gmail.com.
Posted online on June 10, 2024
Published in The Palm Beach Post
