Gloria Evadnee Gray, 92, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 9, 2026 at D’Youville Center for Advanced Therapy. She was the beloved wife of Duke T. Gray; the couple shared 46 years of marriage. Gloria passed away just one day after their wedding anniversary.
Born on October 13, 1933 in Georgetown, British Guiana , she was the daughter of the late William McKenzie and the late Janie (Carter) Wong. She was raised and educated in British Guiana before moving to Canada in 1961.
After arriving in Toronto, Gloria began working as a domestic before continuing her career at the University of Toronto, where she worked at the university bookstore and later at the Samuel L. Sigman Library. It was during her years in Toronto that she met her husband, Duke, who was serving as a minister at a Unitarian church.
Gloria was known for her grace and personal style, always carrying herself with elegance and care. Above all, her life was deeply rooted in faith and service to others.
In the early 1980s, she became actively involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal at Holy Rosary Parish in Toronto, where she served as a leader. This experience marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to missionary work that continued annually for many years, only pausing during the COVID pandemic.
Through her involvement with the international ministry The Choices We Face, Gloria became a member of a missionary “Fire Team,” traveling extensively to share her faith, lead prayer and teaching, and support local communities. Her missions took her to Ghana, Kenya, and several countries in Eastern Europe, including Slovakia and the Czech Republic. While serving in Slovakia, she devoted special attention to teaching and supporting members of the Roma community. Throughout her life, she spent extended periods each year on retreat or in mission, offering spiritual guidance, encouragement, and service wherever she was called.
Closer to home, Gloria also led a Bible study group in Malden and worked part-time as a health care aide at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and at Scarborough Centenary Hospital. Her life was a quiet but powerful example of faith in action.
In addition to her husband, Duke, she is survived by her stepchildren, Theodore “Ted” Gray and his wife Julia of Chicago and Arthur Gray of North Carolina; her sister, Ann-Jane Wong of Toronto; her brother, Ronald Hosford Carter of Toronto; and her step-sister, Bridgett Hughes of England. She also leaves her cherished grandchildren, Lillian, Emalyn, Aaric, Eleana, and Thomas Gray.
Gloria was especially close to Richard Silvio and Patrick Bem, whom she loved as adopted grandchildren. She is also survived by her cousins, Gem Bynoe, Lenox Carter, Jacqueline Carrington, and Ernest Sandiford; her nieces, Sabrina and Jennifer Carter, Naomi Fitzpatrick, and Sharon O'Dell; and many members of the Wong, Hamilton, Ninvalle, Camejo, Eytle, O’Brien, Carter, Adams, Callendar, Dyal, Hinds, Beresford, Boyce, Brown, McKenzie, and McKellar families.
She was predeceased by her stepbrother, Hilbert Wong.
You are welcome to attend her visitation on Saturday, February 14, 2026 from 9:00am until 9:45am at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 115 Wheeler Rd, Dracut, MA 01826. Her funeral Mass will begin at 10am. Procession for burial in Saint Joseph Cemetery, Chelmsford to follow.
Her funeral will be livestreamed at - https://www.facebook.com/McDonoughFuneralHome/videos/
Arrangement by the McDonough Funeral Home. www.mcdonoughfuneralhome.com