Duane Allen Gray passed away peacefully on Dec. 21, 2025, in Rifle. He was born Aug. 21, 1937 in Raton, New Mexico, to Warren James Gray and Vivian Eloise (Regian) Gray. He grew up in New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. He attended Colorado State University and graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1961. While at CSU he met his wife Ann Louise Dine, and they were married Aug. 25, 1961, in Amarillo,Texas. Duane proudly served as a captain in the United States Air Force from 1961-1966 with assignments taking him from Alabama, Georgia, Washington DC, Azores Island off the coast of Portugal and California.
Duane and Ann settled in Southern California and started Orange Villa Veterinary Clinic, where he practiced for 14 years. Duane was a founding member of the Orange County Emergency Pet Clinic, which is still operating today. In 1980, Duane and Ann moved their family to Gunnison where he started Tomichi Pet Clinic with partners and they remained until 2004, and then retired to Fruita.
Duane was an avid outdoorsman, and took his family on many adventures. He was an excellent snow skier and water skier, which he taught to his family and many weekends/vacations were spent snow skiing in Mammoth, California, and Colorado, or boating at Lake Mead and Lake Powell with friends and family. He had many other interests including camping, backpacking, motorcycling and four-wheeling, hunting, reading, woodworking and listening to country music. He spent many years motorcycle enduro racing with his son, supporting him at races throughout America, Europe and Australia. Duane and Ann enjoyed many years of RV travels with their friends in early retirement, and visiting their grandkids and attending all of their events. He will be greatly missed by all of his family, and deeply cherished.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years Ann, his four children Leslie (Tom), Lori (Dan), Julie, Jim (Crystal) and eight grandchildren: Kayla (Josh), Courtney (Tommy), Lindsay, Brianna, Kaylynn, Clayton, Jenna and Jacey and three great grandchildren Jace, Jax and Charlotte. He is also survived by his half sister, Bonnie Gray, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Warren, mother Vivian and sister Sylvia.
Services will be held Jan. 7 at 1 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado in Grand Junction. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you make a donation in Duane’s name to Hope West Hospice or your favorite animal shelter.
