Col. Rollin Lester Gray III, U.S. Army retired, died at his home in Bellingham July 4, 2004. He was 86, born July 2, 1918, in St. Clair Shores, Mich., son of Rollin Lester Gray II and Elizabeth Lewis Gray.

Les graduated from high school in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 1936. He attended college at San Jose State College and Purdue University and held a doctorate in theology.

April 27, 1941, he married Barbara Rodelius in Crown Point, Ind. They raised their five children in Evanston and Glenview, Ill. She preceded him in death in 1977.

Les joined the U.S. Army March 3, 1942, and served in the Chemical Warfare Division. He was promoted to sergeant and attended Officers’ Candidate School. He was shipped to Khuigpur, India, to support the 86th Bombardment Wing during World War II. He was recalled to duty during the Korean Conflict and retired a colonel in 1964.

Les was a member of the Association of the Army of the United States of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Elks, Glenview Chamber of Commerce and Whidbey Presbyterian Church. He held the office of deacon and elder in the Glenview Presbyterian Church, Glenview, Ill., and the Wasatch Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City. He was a representative to Presbytery of Chicago, Ill.

Les worked in advertising and publishing in Chicago and New York, was vice president of Saville Organ Company in Glenview, Ill., and worked as a Realtor in Minneapolis and Salt Lake City.

In 1979, Les married Edith Gibbs Nelson at Wasatch Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City.

Les was an extremely intelligent and talented man with a wonderful personality and sense of humor. He loved people and was regarded as a distinguished contributor and friend to all who knew him. He was also an accomplished artist and writer. He loved boating in Illinois, New York and Washington.

He was preceded in death by his sister Betty Gray Nystrom in 1950.

He is survived by his wife Edith of Bellingham; two sons: Stephen Douglas (Sharon) of Fayetteville, Ark., and Preston Bradley (Dianne) of Minneapolis, Minn.; three daughters: Dianne (Kip) Herbst, Jacquelyn Holly (Gerald) Harwood, and Pamela Jeanne (Joe) Burns, all of Salt Lake City area; two step-daughters: Nancy Reddish of Salt Lake City and Shelly (Clark) Davis of Brigham City, Utah; nine grandchildren: John R. (Jenn) Herbst, Richard T. (Anique) Herbst, Kristin (Kenny) Stierli, Zachary (Val) and Joshua (Paige) Craigle, Heather Gray, Robin (Tyler) Bunker, Bobby and Michael Burns; nine step-grandchildren, and 21 great- and step-great-grandchildren.

Services will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, July 10, at Wasatch Presbyterian Church, interment in Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Arrangements by Jones-Moles Funeral Home in Bellingham.