James Thomas Gray

1940 – 2025

 

James Thomas Gray died suddenly on November 7, 2025 in his 85^th year.  He died in Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert where good friends were near by to help out. Jim was predeceased by his father, Thomas (Tom) Gray and his mother Edith (Edie) as well as his younger brother Alex Gray.  His one remaining brother, Walter Gray, lives in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Jim was a man with many unusual ideas, and he very stubbornly refused to have a telephone in his home.  The family do not know who called the ambulance, but he was in hospital for two days before he passed.

Jim grew up on the farm and spent many hours working the land and repairing equipment.  He developed into a good mechanic who took great pride in helping people out.  He graduated from Prince Albert Composite High School and went on to university but found that university was not for him.

He went to work on the railroad for CN and was trained as a trainman, a brakeman and a Conductor.  He retired from the railroad in the mid 90’s and then did contract work for local farms.

Jim was an avid collector of antique farm machinery. One of his joys was working on equipment at Vintage Power Museum.  He has several pieces of equipment at Vintage Power and other pieces of equipment scattered about the countryside on various farms.

Jim’s deep interest in antique power farm equipment caused him to read and research much about this topic and he was full of knowledge that he enthusiastically shared with anyone who had time to listen.

Jim loved to wear black shirts and hoodies with his jeans but he insisted the shirts needed to fit him well so as not to be a danger around equipment, and he loved to have a pocket in his shirts to keep a pencil and paper so he could jot down things of interest.  He read the Western Producer from cover to cover and enjoyed discussions about the articles.

Jim also loved books and his house had many books stacked about.  He brought books to family whenever he visited and usually he read them first so that they could be discussed during the visit.  This was amazing because Jim was dyslexic and so he had a lot of difficulty in school.  The fact that he graduated showed his determination to do well.  He was articulate and well spoken.  However, his arguments often turned into a one-sided monologue with others not getting a chance to put in an opinion.

Before the past few years, Jim was a big man, very strong and with a big, thundering voice.  However, he had a warm heart and he always wanted to help people.  He had a particular love of children since he never had the opportunity to have children of his own.

Jim will be missed by many here in Prince Albert and will also be missed by many in the group of people in Saskatchewan and Alberta who are fascinated by antique power equipment.  His brother, Walter, and his wife, Jean, will miss his regular visits and his knowledge of the farm community.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at Gray’s Funeral Chapel, 575 28^th Street West, Prince Albert, SK.  Interment will follow in the Colleston Cemetery, East of Prince Albert.

Family and friends may leave online condolences at https://grays.ca

Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Gray’s Funeral Chapel, Prince Albert, (306) 922-4729, Lisa Bos-Atchison, Funeral Director.

• Date : 2025-11-07
• Location : Prince Albert, SK