Rev. Leon Barry Gray, 73, widower of Diana Jean George Gray, died at home on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Born in Brunswick, NC, on September 18, 1949, he was a son of the late Leon Burns and Doris Sing Gray.

Rev. Gray was a graduate of Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, University of South Florida and Southeastern Seminary. His family moved from Brunswick, NC, to Jacksonville, FL before eventually relocating with his wife to Columbia, SC. Prior to his move to Columbia, he served as Pastor at Virginia Avenue Baptist Church and Broadway Baptist Church in Oklahoma. He answered a call in 1996 to serve as Associate Pastor at Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia where he would go on to raise his family and deeply enrich the lives of those in his community. Rev. Gray's Church, Family and Friends were only second to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and he never missed an opportunity to share the good news of the Gospel. As an avid athletic supporter, he was especially fond of the Atlanta Braves, as well as the Florida Gator, Oklahoma Sooners, and USC Gamecock Football. He enjoyed playing Golf, Racquetball and Basketball, cooking BBQ, as well as reading biographies and studying history.

Survivors include his son, Joshua B. Gray of Columbia, SC; daughter, Sarah J. Gray (Lissette) of Samborondón, Ecuador; two grandchildren, Brycen B. Gray and Kinley R. Gray, both of Columbia, SC; and brother, J. Eugene Gray (Jeanne), of Tampa, FL.

The funeral service for Rev. Gray will be held at 2 o'clock, Friday, April 28th, at Shandon Baptist Church, 5250 Forest Drive, Columbia. The family will greet friends following the service at the church. Burial in Greenlawn Memorial Park will be private. Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, is assisting the family.

A livestream will be available at https://control.resi.io/webplayer/video.html?id=632a4e14-0076-424c-9273-5597aacb536c