Obituary: Richard “Dick” Gray
Former Navy Master Chief Richard “Dick” Gray Dies at 89
Brunswick, Maine – Richard “Dick” Gray, a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief who spent more than three decades serving on aircraft carriers and in overseas airbases, died at his home on October 6, 2026, surrounded by family. He was 89.
Gray was born in Deblois, Maine, on October 25, 1936, the eldest of five brothers born to Jennie and Clyde Gray. He graduated from Calais High School and joined the Navy immediately after. “After boot camp I married Delia ‘Dee’ and we have been together for 70 years,” he told family members.
In the Navy, Gray worked as a P‑2 aircrewman and later as a P‑3 flight engineer in VP squadrons 21, 45, 30 and 10, accumulating more than 20,000 flight hours. He served as maintenance master chief at VP‑26 before retiring in 1976. A decade later he returned to active duty, serving twelve years as command master chief at VP‑23, NAS Sigonella, VP‑11, NAS Brunswick, and the electronic warfare squadron VQ‑2 in Rota, Spain, before retiring for the second time in 1992.
After his naval career, Gray worked as service manager at Dow Motors in Ellsworth for five years, then at Darlings in Ellsworth and Northeast Ambulance. He also dedicated 20 years to the Ellsworth School Board, eventually serving as president of the Maine State School Board.
Gray was predeceased by his parents, mother Jennie and father Clyde, and by his brother Ronald. He is survived by wife Delia; his children—Cindy (and husband Leon Dudley of Vassalboro), son Michael (wife Beverly of Topsham), Jo Anne (husband Bruce Dempsey of Wayland, Mich.) and daughter Dianne of Brunswick—along with ten grandchildren and eleven great‑grandchildren. Three brothers—Robert, Royce “Jack” and Randy—also survive him.
“Fair winds and following seas, shipmate, we have the watch, you stand relieved,” his family recalled as a favorite farewell.
The family thanked the staff at CHANS Hospice for their compassionate care in his final days and requested that no memorial service be held. Memorial messages and condolences may be shared at http://www.brackettfh.com. In lieu of flowers, donations are accepted by the Brunswick Naval Aviation Museum in his honor.
Gray left a legacy of service, skill, and a quick smile that made him a beloved patriarch, brother, uncle, and friend in Maine and beyond.
