THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 8, 1996 TAG: 9610080272
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B6 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 27 lines
Robert R. ``Bob'' Gay, 53, beloved husband, father, brother, uncle, friend and son of deceased parents, James Richard Gay and Reba Murray Gay, set sail on his last voyage on Sunday Oct. 6, 1996.
Mr. Gay was a lifelong resident of Virginia. As an artist of extraordinary talent, Bob painted across the canvases of his family and friends' lives with vibrant colors and startling contrasts. He painted as he lived, with integrity and often disturbing honesty, and lived as he dreamed, aboard his boat, Ten Years After, with the wind at his back and the waves at his feet. His countless works of art remain as a testament to the man and his love for all things beautiful.
Mr. Gay is survived by his devoted and loving wife and best friend, Grace L. Gay of Portsmouth; a daughter, Dawn Burnside of Newport News; two sons, Nathan Trent Gay of Portsmouth, James Richard Burnside of Newport News; three sisters, Linda D. Gow of Greenville, S.C., Gail Gay of Boulder Creek, Calif., Carol Pritt of Virginia Beach; a brother, Donald Gay of Brecksville, Ohio; 11 nieces and six nephews. Mr. Gay is also survived and remembered by his close friends and his ever-loyal pets, Tya and Balboa.
A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. today in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Norfolk. Arrangements by Smith and Willams Funeral Home, Norfolk Chapel.
KEYWORDS: DEATH OBITUARY by CNB