Family thankful for son’s faith

When Peter Gray woke up this morning, he had hoped Monday was only a bad dream.

But it wasn’t.

“I just loved being Morgan’s dad, and I didn’t get to finish,” Peter Gray said.

Peter Gray and his wife, Renee, lost their older son Morgan, 11, on Monday after a two-car accident on U.S. 70 west of Salisbury.

But they are getting through this tragedy as a family, Peter Gray said, knowing where Morgan is now.

This weekend, as they returned home from church, the couple discussed the Sunday school lesson with Morgan and his brother Trevor, 10. The lesson was what they would do if they had only 24 hours to live.

Jokingly, the boys first said they would play as much Nintendo as possible, Peter Gray said. But when they got serious, they told their parents that they would call all their friends to say good-bye and ask if they knew about Jesus.

Both boys said they felt comfortable that they knew they would go to heaven.

“We know that he went straight from Route 70 to heaven and that makes it at lot easier,” Peter Gray said.

Shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, Renee Gray and her two sons were driving toward Salisbury on U.S. 70 when their van ran off the road striking the side of Second Creek Bridge.

The bridge sustained no significant structural damage, according to Joe Smith, the state’s supervisor of bridge maintenance for Rowan and Davie counties. Smith said the impact broke the cement curb, but the state probably won’t even need to replace it.

According to N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper J.M. Jackson, the van flipped on its side in the westbound lane.

A burgundy car — driven by Dexter Grant Thompson, 44, of 5315 Carriage Drive Circle, Charlotte — was driving west and could not avoid striking the roof of the van.

Trevor Gray was treated at Rowan Regional Medical Center for a bloody nose Monday morning and released. His mother was released that afternoon, after getting treatment for a back injury.

Thompson, the driver of the other vehicle, also was treated and released.

Jackson said charges were pending. He said they were not able to speak with Renee Gray Monday because she was undergoing treatment and grieving.

Renee Gray home-schooled her boys and serves as president of the Rowan County Homeschool Association.

Rather than send flowers in Morgan’s memory, the Gray family is asking that well-wishers make a contribution to the HomeSchool Association to create a scholarship fund in Morgan Gray’s name.

On Monday, members of the home school group and the family’s church, Corner Stone Baptist in Cleveland, surrounded the Gray family with support.

The Homeschool Association serves about 160 families, according to Debbie House, its publicity chairman.

On Monday afternoon, Peter, Renee and Trevor Gray sat and prayed with friends, encouraging them to remember Morgan.

Peter Gray said his wife is doing better than he expected. He said it has been a roller coaster, one minute crying, the next laughing about memories.

“We will get through this by remembering him,” Peter Gray said this morning.

The couple, who have been married 15 years, have talked with their younger son about the loss of his brother.

“We’ve always been straight forward with him about life and death is a part of life,” Peter Gray said.

He said Trevor is an athlete, the strong silent type. Trevor has yet to cry about the death of his brother, Peter Gray said, but the couple are working with him.

The boys are 18 months apart and were very close, he said. “They would never admit they were best friends, but they were.”

The boys had two friends who are also brothers close in age. Those brothers fought often. One day, his sons came home and told Peter Gray they realized that if they didn’t fight with each other, they wouldn’t get in trouble and could spend more time having fun.

Morgan Gray liked trying different sports, but he wasn’t a competitor, according to his father. He liked soccer best and had just started weight training.

Morgan Gray liked collecting football cards and golfing with his dad, who describes him as “such a soft child.”

“It was like he was a best friend to me more than a son,” Peter Gray said.

Friends tell his parents that they never never heard a harsh word from his mouth.

“Being proud of him as a parent wasn’t just that he didn’t cause trouble but that his character was so strong,” Peter Gray said.

Morgan Gray wanted to be an archeologist and volunteer with the Red Cross when he grew up, but for now he just wanted to play all of the time.

While Renee Gray home schooled the boys, Peter Gray works as a Certified Public Accountant for Case Farms.

Home schooling the boys drew his wife and the family so much closer than they would have been, Peter Gray said.

Contact Jillian McCartney at 704-797-4253 or jmccartney@salisburypost.com .