Marty Scott Gray

1
2009
Marty Scott Gray
Marty Scott Gray

Marty Scott Gray, an internationally collected artist, avid surfer, and 33-year resident of Laguna Beach, transitioned on New Year’s Day after a battle with fronto-temporal dementia. A memorial paddle-out was held Saturday, Jan. 7, at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point. The “aloha” ceremony was officiated by Mike Garrett and Pastor Jay Grant. Hans and Janine Sylstra and Greg “Tama” Portages provided the aloha music. Aloha Ke Aku means “Love is God.” Aloha is a way of living and treating each other with love and respect. Its deep meaning starts by teaching us first to love ourselves and then to share that love with others. When you live the Spirit of Aloha, you create positive feelings and thoughts, which are always present. This was the essence of the ceremony and the philosophy by which Gray lived.

Born in Seattle in 1954, Marty moved to Southern California the following year. Growing up near the uncrowded California beaches of the 1960’s, Gray became a passionate and devoted surfer. He explored the California coast from Santa Cruz to Mexico and was one of the earliest visitors to Indonesia’s G-land. During one such visit, he suffered a bad wipe-out, hitting the coral reef face-first. (An article on G-Land in Surfer’s Journal described it as the worst wipe-out the author had ever seen.) Back home in Orange County, Gray was a regular in the line-up at Salt Creek for over 39 years, fearlessly challenging even the biggest waves.

Gray’s surfing adventures took him all over the world, but it was the years he spent living on the north shore of Kaua’i in the early 1970’s that was to change his life forever. Part of this time he spent living in a tree house community, Taylor Camp, near the spectacular Na Pali Coast. He remarked, “The amazing scenery of the island just blew me away. Sometimes it felt like I was in a dream. I know that my experiences at that time planted a seed for my love of dramatic light and color. Decades later I remain humbled by the beauty I was blessed to see.”

Always artistically creative, Gray spent many years as a songwriter and musician. He owned a recording studio and was pursuing his passion for music when he received a paint set from a friend. From the moment the brush first touched the canvas he was hooked. He sold all of his music equipment and began a lifetime love affair with painting. In his words, “I discovered that creating a good painting was a lot like writing a song: both need an underlying rhythm and harmony, and both must have a balance of intensity and space. The dynamics are very similar.” Gray’s work hangs in private and corporate collections internationally and was displayed in galleries in the western U.S., Hawaii, and Japan. He also exhibited at the Laguna Beach Sawdust Art Festival for seven summers.

On a personal note, Gray was a man of utmost integrity who displayed unending generosity to his friends and family. His spiritual path was one of inner reflection and he was a lifelong devotee of Paramahansa Yogananda. Gray began practicing yoga at the Yoga Center in Costa Mesa at age 18, where he is still known as “Kabir” by his yoga brothers and sisters. Gray was an extraordinary man of great influence and inspiration to the surfing and art communities as well as to his friends and family. He loved the Lord, teaching me that life here is short and that heaven will be another great adventure. He always said to me, “See you on the other side.”

Gray’s enthusiasm for surfing, his artistic abilities, and his loving generosity towards his friends and family will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Deborah Brazeal Gray; his sister, Lisa Ice, her husband, David and her daughter, Jenna Mitchell; his brother Bruce Gray and his wife Sue; his father, Gerry Gray and his wife Mary; his stepbrothers, Mark Fitzgerald and his wife Shirley, Mike Fitzgerald and his wife Terri; Nicholas Fitzgerald and his wife, Lydia; his cousins, Jill Simon Martin, Steve Simon and his wife Lori, and Jeri Rowars and her husband Chuck; as well as many friends and relatives. He was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Barbara. Aloha Marty. We all love you. See you on the other side.

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1 COMMENT

  1. My neigbour my friend crazy ass fearless surfer and talented artist..someone I knew I could always trust, the planet needs more Marty Scott Grey’s…

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