Fred Gray
In a recent Facebook post, Bob Coules passed on the sad news of the passing of Fred Gray who was in IT development for a number of years and moved over to Maersk. Following Bob's post, Ross Tozer very kindly arranged for the following announcement:
I have some very sad news regarding an ex Blue Star, P&OCL, P&ONL and Maersk IT colleague and personal friend Fred Gray.
Fred, who after a long battle following a stroke, sadly passed on 1st April 2024. The following message was shared by his wife, Sakura:
"Beloved husband, father and brother Fred passed away peacefully in hospital with his wife, Sakura, son’s Peter and Zac, his brother Peter, Mother Brenda and Jim at his bedside, following complications from a stroke.
"A memorial service will be held on 3rd May 2024 at 11am at Chadwell Heath Cemetery (Marks Gate Cemetery), Whalebone Lane North, Romford, RM6 5QX. The Journey starts from 50 Whitta Road, London, E12 5DA at 10am. This will be a private funeral service held for family members and close friends and is by invitation only."
A separate celebration and remembrance of Fred's life will be held for Fred's P&O, P&ONL and Maersk IT friends on 16th May 2024 from 18.00 onwards at the Hoop & Grapes in Aldgate. An invitation will be extended to Sakura and other family members.
Amongst the tributes paid to Fred alongside Bob's original post was this one from Mark Finlayson. With Mark's kind permission it was thought appropriate to repeat it here:
"Fred was a really great guy who first worked for me in Tilbury at Blue Star Line, then P&O Nedlloyd and onto Maersk. In Tilbury one day I remember coming into the office in the morning at 0900, and he was still there. He had been there all night. When asked why he said, “the ship would not have cleared customs, so I just worked all night to make sure the manifest paperwork was passed."
Our deepest condolences to Sakura, the other members of Fred's family, and his friends.
21/04/2024