Quentin Gray went to be with the Lord on June 12, 2026, passing away peacefully.

Services will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, July 25, Eastgate Funeral Service, 3117 E Century Ave, with a visitation being held one hour prior to the service.

Burial will be in Wing, ND.

Quentin was born on December 28, 1936, to James and Zelda Gray in Onawa, Iowa. Shortly after, the family moved to North Dakota, where he grew up alongside his three brothers and two sisters in Wing.Quentin later married Linda, and they decided to move to Chula Vista, California. Together, they bought a beautiful home and worked hard on the landscaping to make it truly their own. They raised three children there: Terry, Tim, and Cyndi.

While in California, Quentin worked with Rohr Aircraft before being recruited as a welder by Solar Turbines. During his time at Solar, he became a master welder. This was during the 1960s, a time when NASA contracted Solar Turbines for the Apollo space program. Quentin worked on experimental welding processes with metals that had never been welded before. One of his favorite projects was welding the small pee cup for the monkey NASA sent into space, a detail he always got a kick out of. He also received a certificate of acknowledgment from the Apollo space program for his critical work on the systems that helped bring the Apollo 13 astronauts safely back home.

During his time in California, Quentin met a lifelong friend, Byron Blair, a master machinist. Together, they worked at Byron’s race shop building Top Fuel dragsters. Quentin helped design and weld the chassis. At the time, TIG (Heliarc) welding was not widely known, and people would visit the shop just to admire his welds and ask questions.In 1971, the family returned to North Dakota, and that same year, they welcomed their fourth child, Dustin. 

Quentin worked as a pipefitter for several years and spent time working up at the gas plants. It was during his time at the gas plants that Quentin became especially popular on the job site thanks to his sister, Norma. Norma loved to sew and started making custom welding caps for Quentin. When his coworkers saw them, they absolutely loved the hats and wanted their own. Norma got a real kick out of it and started coming up with a bunch of different, unique designs. Quentin gladly took them to work and sold them to the crew for her, making sure everyone on site was outfitted with the best welding caps around.

He also developed a deep love for horses, eventually raising Quarter Horses. He loved traveling to look at them, occasionally bringing a new one home. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he ran an excavating business alongside his two oldest sons. Quentin loved a challenge. He often shared a story from a basement excavation job where another company had a "hotshot" backhoe operator working right alongside him. Quentin was incredibly proud to say he matched that operator bucket-for-bucket. He lived by the mindset that if another man could do something, you could do it too—you might just have to work a little harder at it. In the early 1990s, Quentin returned to Solar Turbines in California as a welding supervisor. He later transferred to their Texas facility, where he eventually retired. North Dakota called him home once again, and he moved back to Wing in 1996. A new and wonderful chapter of his life began when he blessed his life by marrying Anna Mae. Together, they shared a deep love for raising Quarter Horses, watching NASCAR races, and polka dancing. 

One of Quentin's favorite pastimes was Friday night pinochle. He loved going into Wing to see his friends, shoot the breeze, share some snacks, and play cards. He was always happiest when he held a great hand and could run the table. Another lifelong passion of his was big-block Chevy engines, frequently declaring, "There's no replacement for displacement." He loved talking shop with his good friend, Brad Volk, and the two of them could spend hours discussing the next engine build. 

Over the last few years, Quentin spent a great deal of time with his son, Dustin, and his grandson, E.J. He found immense joy and pride in watching E.J. work the land on the Williams farm. Quentin would drive out to the fields and just sit for hours, completely captivated as he watched E.J. operate the massive equipment, plowing, fertilizing, and combining. Seeing his grandson work with such dedication brought Quentin a profound sense of accomplishment and happiness. Quentin also held a deep love for seeing the country and exploring new places. Though he had always wanted to visit Yellowstone National Park to see Old Faithful, he never quite had the opportunity—until this past year. He and Dustin packed up for a four-day road trip, and Quentin was absolutely amazed by the scenery. Looking out at the vast wilderness, he remarked in awe that there were places out there where man had likely never set foot. Finally seeing Old Faithful erupt was a true highlight, and he later declared it was probably the best trip he had ever taken.

This journey followed a previous adventure to Arizona, where Quentin enjoyed a wonderful, long-overdue reunion with his lifelong friend, Byron Blair. Joined by his brother, Larry, they had an incredible time catching up. While on the trip, Quentin toyed with the idea of visiting the Grand Canyon, but with a grin, decided it was "probably too deep," opting instead to see the Hoover Dam. He was absolutely fascinated by the sheer mass and scale of the structure. On these road trips, Quentin got a huge kick out of pointing out the old routes he used to drive. He loved to joke that he was the "road interpreter," while Dustin was the "boss in charge."Above all, Quentin was happiest when he was surrounded by family and friends. He loved taking his family to reunions and gatherings, where he could reminisce, laugh, and tell his favorite stories. 

He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

Quentin is survived by his daughter, Cyndi Stolz; his son, Dustin Gray; his brother, Larry Gray; and his cherished grandchildren: E.J. (son of Dustin), James and Jewel (children of Terry), and Justin and Lauren (children of Cyndi).