Soledad Gray passed away on December 10, 2020 in Winnemucca, NV.
She was born on March 10, 1953 in the mountains of Abra, one of the northern-most provinces of the Philippines.
After college, she moved to Hong Kong to do domestic work.
She met Robin Gray through a correspondence service and soon moved to Lovelock, Nevada, where they got married and eventually had their first child,
Rachel. Aaron came five years later and Adam two years after that.
Everything in her life revolved around three things: her family, her faith, and her friends. If you have had the pleasure of knowing her, you would know these things:
She is an incredible cook — she was once two and a half hours late to her own birthday party because she was cooking extra food (even though her friends told her not to worry about it).
She made any dish taste delicious, and she was especially known for her pancit, empanadas, siopao, fried rice, and lumpia.
Her generosity is unmatched — she always gave everyone more food than they asked for and gave her friends and acquaintances gifts, whether or not they were expecting them.
Every time her daughter complimented her on her outfit or something she had, the next sentence out her mouth would be, “Do you want it? Take it.”
Her faith is unwavering — every Sunday, through any weather, Soledad drove the 30 minutes from her house to church.
Even in her last months when she could not leave the house, she said the rosary daily and watched Mass on YouTube.
Her hope is steady — through all her cancer treatments and every terrible side effect, she knew that God would guide her and comfort her.
She was a good friend to so many - she offered help to people who had just moved to town, giving them rides so they could get groceries and run their errands.
She made people feel welcome and at home when they were in a new and strange place (both literally and metaphorically).
She always found gratitude and humor, even when things felt hopeless and difficult — Rachel, her daughter, recalls:
“Even in her last months, when her health started to take a turn, we laughed together at the absurdity of the situations we found ourselves in. We made jokes together and we laughed, even when things got hard. In her last weeks, she found gratitude in the small joys — a few bites of bitter melon soup, being able to sleep for a couple hours uninterrupted, praying the rosary, a visit from a friend. Once, when her hospice home health aide asked if she had diabetes, my mom said, ‘No, thank goodness. I am very lucky.’”
Anyone who knew and loved her could talk about Soledad’s generosity, her food, and her friendship.
Soledad taught her family and friends that there is always something to be grateful for. She inspired them to be more helpful, to be more kind, to trust in something bigger than themselves and to count their blessings.
She inspired others to live their lives a little bit differently, as well, whether that meant offering help somewhere you wouldn’t have before, or praying a little more, or cooking up something good for a friend or something else that would have made Soledad smile.
“Mom, we are so lucky to know you and your love. Thank you for everything.”
Services for Soledad Gray were held on December 16, 2020 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church.
