My Story

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1912 to 2007
aged: 94
From: Northampton

This site is dedicated to my Grandfather, Charles (Charlie) William Gray, who passed on peacefully in his sleep at 1am on Friday, June 8th 2007 at the Kettering General Hospital.

Born in Northampton in 1912, Charles was married to Glady's for 72 years and described the success of a long marriage down to regular arguments.

Born during WW1, he grew up to work in a factory machining metal. Always full of ideas and initiative he became one of their valued workers. Always the handy man he made many things most of us wouldn't dream of attempting to make ourselves. He fought during WW2 and had many tales to tell his grandchildren of the nights he would be stationed on the machine guns searching the skys for the German planes as they flew over Northampton on their way to Coventry. After the war he worked on the railways helping build the Northampton line as it is today.

There were 3 passions in his life, excluding the wife that is - Fishing, Cricket and Football. As a child I always remember going to visit my grandparents on a Sunday evening and nan would be gutting the fish pap had caught. He won many trophys for fishing and was secretary of the Anglian Anglers Club for many years. When he wasn't fishing he was up the country ground watching the cricket and if it wasn't cricket it was football. He saw his first Cobblers game in 1923 and was still watching them up to the end of the last season and the good old age of 94.

Sadly, as time went by his memories started to fade. The last few years were the hardest for us as he no longer could remember who any of his family were - not even his wife but he did remember his childhood years and could still have us in fits of laughter telling us tales of when he was a young boy.

He is survived by his wife Gladys, 3 sons (Raymond, Robert & Roger), 7 Grandchildren (Michelle, Steven, Sarah, Christopher, Jonathan, Samantha and ???) and 5 great grandchildren.

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