Shad Michael Gray

Shad Gray passed away peacefully at home on September 9, 2025 at the age of 62. 

Shad was born in Lockport NY and grew up in the Capital Region. He started his career in the Army and switched over to the Air Force, where he had an extended career as a Flight Engineer. Shad served 2 tours in Afghanistan and flew countless missions to the South Pole and Greenland. After 39 years of dedicated service to the NY Air National Guard, he retired as a Senior Master Sergeant and became a pilot for American Airlines. His passion was flying. Shad loved traveling, family, his many friends, and living out in the country. More than anything else, he loved his daughter MaVie.

The incredible circle of friends he had all over the world speaks volumes to the kind of person Shad was. So many of those friends spoke to how lucky they felt to have him in their lives. Even with the devastating diagnosis he received 1 year ago, he took the news in stride and fought to the end, all the while caring for his family until his last breath.

Clear skies and tailwinds and Fly High Shad!

Shad is survived by his wife Nicole and daughter MaVie, mother Lynda Hawes, father and stepmother George and Jackie Gray, sister Julie Zemanick (Rick Murphy), brother George Gray, and many extended family members.

A wake is scheduled for Sunday, September 21, 4:00pm – 7:00pm at Applebee Funeral Home in Delmar, NY. A funeral service with full military honors is scheduled for Monday, September 22, 10:00am at Saratoga National Cemetery

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Dana Farber Cancer Institute or the Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne, NY (https://www.dana-farber.org/ https://www.doublehranch.org/ )