Quinton Gray

Quinton Gray, age 83, passed away peacefully at his home on March 20, 2018.  Quinton, who was known to his family, many friends and students as “Q” or simply “The Man”, was born on October 18, 1934 in Mangum, Oklahoma to Lester and Lola Gray.   Quinton spent his childhood years and early education in Oklahoma City, OK before joining the United States Army in 1954.  Upon his discharge from the Army, Quinton played professional baseball in the New York Giants minor league system until injuries forced him to end his baseball career.

Playing his first round of golf at the age of 28, “Q” became a golf professional in 1966 and continued to play and teach professionally for the next 51 years until his retirement from teaching in 2017.  Quinton realized his dream of playing professionally when he played in his first Senior PGA Tour event the day he turned 50.  He would earn his PGA Tour card after being a medalist in 1986 for the Tour’s Qualifying School and go on to be an active member of the Senior Tour for the next 13 years.

Known to everyone as the consummate instructor and professional, Quinton was nevertheless quick to make a student laugh or have one of his endless “one-liners” ready to go at a moment’s notice.  After holding the first round lead of a Senior Tour event in 1988, Quinton gave one of his trademark quips to a reporter who asked about how he made the transition from professional baseball to professional golf.  “'It's basically the same swing,' Quinton said of the golf and baseball stroke. 'You're just hitting a ball that's standing still instead of a ball that's moving…. And the ball that's moving is easier to hit.'”

His later years were devoted to bringing joy and excitement to the hundreds of people in the Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra, FL area that became his students while holding the position of Golf Instructor at Sawgrass Country Club in 2004 until his retirement last year.  On any given day, “Q” could be found on the driving range sharing his limitless knowledge of the golf swing with his students.  Many of these same people would remark during his retirement party that even though they weren’t on the range with him, they would still hear his voice in their heads.  His rich voice, a combination of an Oklahoma drawl steeped in a deep timbre, undoubtedly left a lasting impression on any of the lives he touched. His passion for laughter, conversation and friendship will live on in everyone that he met as a teacher, coworker, friend or acquaintance.

Quinton was preceded in death by his daughter, Vicki, but is survived by his loving wife, Joyce (Hermiller), his sons Bob, Mark, and Kenny, his grandson Kenny, Jr., and his stepsons Michael (Melanie) and Nick (Wendy), their four children.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 2:00 p.m., Monday, March 26, 2018 in the Chapel of Quinn-Shalz  Funeral Home of Jacksonville Beach, FL. Interment will be held in Jacksonville National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, 4266 Sunbeam Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32257.