03/31/2026
Dorothy Hilda Gray (nee Hardy)
August 23, 1930 - March 25, 2026
Dorothy was born in Elmsdale PEI to Hazel and Emerson Hardy. She was the seventh of eleven children. Dorothy attended nursing school in Summerside PEI and graduated in 1952, top of her class. Dorothy took a nursing position in Cochrane Ontario and arrived by train; the local newspaper headlined ran “Four RNs arrived by Northlander”.
On her second night in Cochrane, her blind date was Charles Gray. They married Sept 1954.
Dorothy lived and worked as an RN in Cochrane, Timmins, Pembroke and Lindsay Ontario. In 2015, Charles and Dorothy moved to Huntsville and enjoyed life closer to the cottage and family. Charles died August 2016.
Dorothy’s most precious place on earth was the cottage that was built at Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park in 1950 by Charles. Nature was always important to Dorothy and wherever she lived, she rewilded patches of grass to befriend birds, bees and insects. Dorothy never smacked a spider and often had them tucked safely away in her homes, often to our surprise. Dorothy skinny dipped, paddled and was a happy soul until her final stargazing.
Her death by MAID was a difficult choice as she loved this world.
She is survived by her children Jane (Randy), Stephen (Clare) and Karen (Dave). Grandchildren Madeline (Michael), Nicholas (Maggie), Emily (Dan) and Claire (Leo). She is survived by her brother Vernon Lorne Hardy, age 104 of PEI.
Special thank you to caregivers Vanessa, Mary Ellen and Arti, nurses Rena and Thara. These simple words cannot express the entirety of our gratitude.
A gathering to celebrate Dorothy will take place in the future.
In memory of Dorothy, skip cutting the grass, love a w**d and go for a skinny dip
