F. W. was born on Dec. 24, 1925 at the Gray family farm home, south of Peabody, Kansas to Fordyce Allan and Mamie Manning Gray.

He had three sisters and one cousin to welcome him: Marion Gray Renchler, Marjorie Gray Windsor, Margaret Gray Thompson, and Olive Manning Erickson.

Fordyce went to grade school in Peabody for eight years and attended Peabody High School for four years, graduating in 1944. F. W. rode a horse to grade school a few years and with Margaret in her car some of the time. She often told him it cost her $.50 a week for gas.

After graduation, Fordyce farmed with his father until 1950 when he bought his dad’s machinery tools, and etc. to start farming on his own. He worked for Vickers refinery in Potwin, Kansas and a factory in Peabody during the fall and winter for several months two different years.

On Nov. 27, 1949, Fordyce married a girl he had met in high school, Marjorie Gaines, who lived in the Summit Community east of Peabody. They had 3 sons, Lewis (Loretta) Gray, Great Bend, Kansas; Ernest (LouAnn) Gray, Peabody, Kansas; and Douglas (Doris) Gray, Buhler, Kansas.

He started farming the Walter Litton Farm sometime around 1958 until 2004. He retired from farming and had an auction Oct. 11, 2008, staying on the farm until he and Marjorie moved to the Peabody Care Center in Peabody in Aug. 2010.

He leaves his wife Marjorie, their three sons and their wives, 10 grandchildren and their spouses, 11 great grandchildren, nephews, nieces, cousins and friends to remember him.

Memorial services were held at Peabody United Methodist Church on Sunday, Dec. 16 at 10 a.m., with interment at Prairie Lawn Cemetery. Memorials have been established with the Alzheimer’s Association and the Peabody United Methodist Church.