“Very Sad News”: Community Left Devastated by the Saddening Loss of Surfing Icon, Who Suffered a Severe Brain Injury in 2014

After a number of tragic incidents in the surfing realm, the community has been hit by another upsetting news. Veteran surfer Ray Gray, a living legend from Cape Hatteras died on April 4, 2023. Known as a trailblazer, Gray contributed his part to the betterment of the sport in the country. He founded the Ray Gray Classic Surf Competition, which started in 2019. However, his demise left his close ones in utter dismay.

Recently, one of his students shared an endearing post on Facebook, paying reverence to the legend who never learned to give up. Gray suffered from a life-threatening injury in 2014, but that couldn’t hinder his drive to encourage his students to live beyond academics. However, this news devastated the community and fans crowded the comment section of the post to write a tribute to the legend.

The Ray Gray legacy

Born in North Carolina, Ray Gray was a principal of the Cape Hatteras school system. Moreover, he was also a local surfer who helped young talents to maintain a balance between studies and surfing. Besides pioneering the surf event from 2019 that went under his name, the Cape Hatteras surfer had a jetty, ‘Ray’s Rights’ named after him. Nevertheless, he underwent a horrific brain injury in 2014 that almost took away his life. Recovering from the accident, Gray paved the path for his successors to appear safely while surfing.

Thus to grieve his death, one of his students took to Facebook to pay a sincere goodbye to him. Brett Barley, the student, wrote. “Cape Hatteras lost a surf icon… Ray Gray was so much a part of Surfing around here, the Righthander that peels off the first jetty is referred to as “Ray’s Rights.”

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In fact, he went on to share, “From being my Elementary School Principal, to writing the first articles on my surfing for the local paper when I was a kid, to later becoming a friend as I got older… I’m appreciate for the encouraging man he was, and the stoke he shared. We sure will miss him on the Island…But his legacy will forever when someone takes off on a wave at ‘Ray’s Rights’.” This heartfelt gesture drew the attention of the fans and they came forward to lament his demise.

The surfing community paid homage to him

Reminiscing his contributions, one wrote, “I enjoyed reading his articles about surfing trips and just surfing.” Another added, “Very sad news what a great guy.” Referring to ‘Ray’s Rights’, one fan commented, “As a surfer, having a wave/peak named after you is a pretty cool way to be remembered.”

Paying condolences to the author, one user penned, “Ray will be watching over us in line up Brett!” Evidently, people are upset about the loss as another wrote, “Prayers for you and the entire community, sorry for your loss.”

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No doubt, with the demise of Ray Gray, the Cape Hatteras community lost a gem. But as they say, even though the person dies, the legacy lives.