Called Home to Glory

Art Gray, 1929 - 2015

Art Gray, one of the founders of Lutheran High School of Orange County, was called home to glory on June 15, 2015. He was 86.

During the time spent creating the concept of Orange Lutheran, all the way to cutting the ribbon at the Beyond Expectations unveiling in 2014, Art was a beloved figure in the Orange Lutheran community and beyond. In addition to helping found the school, Art’s endeavors in the community knew no ends.

Still, Orange Lutheran was closest to his heart.

“He truly believed in public service,” said Tom Gray, Art’s youngest son. “He was involved in more things than you can imagine. But Orange Lutheran was probably the thing he was most proud of.”

As the history goes, a group of Christian men and women began meeting regularly in the late 1950s with the hopes of establishing a Lutheran high school.

What many don’t know is that at the time, Art was only 30 years old.

“This school was sort of a lifelong dream for him,” Tom said. “When the very first meeting was held in 1958, he was only 30. He was the youngest of the group. The vast majority of those people never got to see their kids attend Lutheran High.”

What pushed Art, according to his wife and son, was his dedication to offer an advanced Lutheran education to the students of Orange County.

Art Gray, center, cutting the ribbon at the Beyond Expectations unveiling in 2014.

“There were the Catholic schools, Servite and Mater Dei, and those schools always had a waiting list,” said Art’s wife of 60 years, Doreen. “We wanted to be that good.”

The school, after many baby steps, finally opened in 1973.

“It was always about having one more meeting, holding one more bake sale, putting in one more $10 donation,” Tom said. “It was tiny, little steps, one after the other. Before he passed, he would marvel at the growth of the school. None of the founders, in their wildest dreams, thought it would be what it is today. They thought it would just be a small school that would serve local middle schools.”

What the school is today, birthed from those tiny meetings in the 50s and 60s, is one of the largest Lutheran high schools in the nation, and one that continues to expand its footprint, its student body, and its positive influence on the local community.

“When he cut the ribbon at the Beyond Expectations ceremony, he was really touched by that,” Tom said. “He didn’t know he was cutting the ribbon. He was thinking about all the people that worked to start this school and felt like he was doing it in their honor. That was a nice moment for him.”

Art is survived by his wife Doreen, their three sons, Peter, Paul and Tom, and five grandchildren, Daniel, Junko, Douglas, Tomoyuki, and David.

“He had a big soul,” Tom said about what he’ll remember about his father. “He had a big heart. He really cared about people.”

Art Gray was truly an amazing visionary and an inspiration to so many. Orange Lutheran has been blessed in so many ways because of Art and his wife Doreen and their dedication to the school and its ministry. He will truly be missed.