Worthington High Schools Alumni Club - Deceased Classmates
First Name
Michael Paul
Maiden Name
Last Name
Gray
Passing Date
5/26/2023
Class Attended
1986
High School
Worthington High School
Michael Paul Gray, 54, passed away unexpectedly Friday May 26, 2023, peacefully in his sleep at his home. Michael was born on August 22, 1968, at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, Ohio to his parents Paul Louis Gray and Susanne (Karshner) Borror. Michael served in the Columbus Police Department for 32 years from where he very recently retired as Commander for Patrol Zone 1. Michael leaves to cherish his memory his daughters Mary and Lyndsay Gray; mother Susanne Borror; brother Chad (Rebecca) Gray; nephews Matthew and David Gray, many friends and the community he served. Michael joins in rest his father Paul Gray and stepfather Jacob Borror. Michael will be dearly missed. Michael can most succinctly be described as a unique man. He had a way and a drive about him that afforded him the ability to become an expert in whatever he found interest and to rise to the top of the ranks in the vocation to which he devoted his life. Michael was an all-or-nothing type of person. When his mind focused on a hobby or interest, he bought all the literature, all the best tools of the trade and learned as much information on the subject as he could and within the time it took to grasp the concept, Michael would be on to the next thing. Rather than fickle, this speaks to Michael’s inherent need to do his best, become the authority and to improve the world in which he lived with his skills and expertise. Michael’s main passions in life were his career and history, most specifically Civil War history. So much so that Michael earned an MBA in Criminal Justice and an MBA in Civil War History and with the latter he taught as a professor at Franklin University. Michael joined the Police Academy in October of 1990. He worked his way up the ranks before going into Fraud and Forgery in 1997. He was then promoted in March of 2000 to Sergeant, where he led the 14th Precinct. He went into Internal Affairs for 6 years until he was promoted to Lieutenant in March of 2008. He continued to work up the ranks as Acting Commander in February of 2001 and was then Promoted to Commander in May of 2011 where he led Internal Affairs for 2 years and then Special Victims until May of 2020. He ultimately finished his career as Commander of Patrol Zone 1 until he retired on May 2, 2023. Outside of his work and education, Michael was an avid hunter and thus he was a gun aficionado, to a characteristically obsessive degree. He not only knew the inside and out of each firearm but could quote you its history and even recall serial numbers to those that he owned. With his love for hunting came his love for German Shorthaired Pointers which are not only perfect hunting companions, but also endlessly affectionate pets of which Michael was fondly aware. Michael was a gifted guitar player, an attribute that will always soften the hearts and mist eyes of those who knew him. His love of music cannot go without mentioning his favorite band, Government Mule, whom he would follow out of state to see perform in concert. Michael was a man of faith and a man of service. He was active in his church community for many years and was a member of The Free Masons. Michael also took part in community outreach, most notably the Starfish Assignment which is a program in which police officers bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community which they serve. Michael understood the purpose of a police officer is to guard the community from the evil that exists to disrupt it. He understood the necessity of the community to be connected to the officers that were there to protect them and conversely for those officers to be intimate with the needs and voices of this community. To Michael, criminal justice was far from just a profession; it was who he was, and it was his life. Despite the gravity of Michael’s vocation and the responsibility he took as his yoke, Michael had an infamously big sense of humor. Where some may not understand what it takes to be an officer, let alone commanding, Michael understood that this endeavor was out of love for his fellow man and the protection of those therein. His innate need to make others smile with pranks and dry sarcasm stemmed from the same place in his heart that called him to his criminal justice profession. Michael stepped up to serve when no others would serve. While others ran from, Michael ran towards the line of fire. He believed in the goodness of society, the laws that ensured its integrity, the law within the law that kept its enforcers accountable, and understood the sacrifices needed to uphold all of it. He loved the good and joy in people in a way that only he could and, just like dry humor, it was often unreciprocated. However, this never deterred him. It never stopped him from reaching out to the people and community he loved and ultimately seemed to spur him on tirelessly. As tragically brief as Michael’s life was, few in this world can say that they have used their equal time as wisely, fully, and selflessly as he. It is a man’s duty in life to leave the world a better place than he found it and truly, we can say, that Michael has done just that.
