Bill Gray, considered a legend along West Liberty Avenue in Dormont by many, died on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2002, in the Baptist Homes Nursing Center, Mt. Lebanon. He was 75.
William L. Gray Sr., a resident of Scott Township and the founder of Bill Gray Automotive, which includes Buick, Pontiac, GMC Truck, Subaru, Volvo, Ferrari and Porsche franchises, began his more than 50-year career in the automotive trade in the early 1950s. He once sold cars for $85, using an abandoned bus as his office.
Fran Magasano, a resident of Beechview, recalled buying her first car, a Ford Falcon, in 1969 for $85 after graduating from high school.
"I really liked Mr. Gray," she said. "He was a real person. A man you could trust. In fact, I trusted him so much and I was so satisfied with my first car that several years later, when I was working, I bought another car from him for $599. And I was still buying cars from him."
Mr. Gray's son, Bill Gray Jr., president of Bill Gray Automotive, recalled how his father would baby-sit him by taking him to the car lot.
"When I was tall enough to reach the hubcaps, Dad had me washing the cars. He taught me the business," Bill Gray Jr. said. "Like Dad, I learned to do everything from working in the shop to selling cars on the lot and later from the floor."
Born in Magnolia, Ill, and raised in Beechview, the elder Mr. Gray, while attending South Hills High School, sold newspapers and worked in a supermarket to help with family finances. After graduation, Mr. Gray enlisted in the Navy and served aboard an LST, which, his son recalled, landed troops and supplies in England and later in France as American forces fought their way into Germany.
Returning to Beechview, he married Anna Mae "Dolly" Fest, a young woman from Castle Shannon, whom he had met at a dance. They were married in 1947 and Bill Gray began his automotive career with Powers Motors, a Lincoln-Mercury dealership.
"I'm often asked how my father became so successful in his business," Gray Jr. said. "Dad was unassuming. He never assumed if a customer was rich or poor. He treated every person the same. He had enormous talent and a great work ethic. He was not only loyal to his customers, but to his suppliers and his franchises."
As an active member of the congregation of St. Catherine of Siena Church, Beechview, Mr. Gray involved himself in numerous church functions, including helping with their street fairs and fund-raisers.
Mr. Gray is survived by his wife, Anna Mae "Dolly" Gray; two sons, William L. Gray Jr. and Scott of Mt. Washington; two daughters, Lou Anne Glumac of Brookline and Amy Bartman of Mt. Lebanon; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Beinhauers, 2630 W. Liberty Ave., Dormont. A Mass will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Catherine of Siena, Beechview.
