Anyone who lived or worked in Columbia County for any length of time seemed to know Thad Gray.
The Columbia County native was president and owner of Martinez Realty Co. on Washington Road.
"He must have been the most sociable person in the world because everybody just saw him or talked to him," said Mr. Gray's wife, Terry. "Thad knew everybody."
Mr. Gray, of Appling, died Nov. 1.
Donnie Brown, longtime owner and operator of Brown Feed & Seed in Evans, had been friends with Mr. Gray since the they met at Middle Georgia College in the mid 1970s.
"He was just like he was when I met him in college. He hadn't changed a bit," Brown said with a chuckle. "He cut his hair a little bit."
Brown said Mr. Gray, rarely without his trademark sunglasses, was a smart man, especially about real estate matters. He usually got up early on Saturday mornings to help Brown open the feed and seed store.
"He was quite a character," Brown said. "He (helped us) on Saturday mornings. He wore this old coat with a tear in it. He had duct tape on the coat. ... If you saw him on Saturday morning, you'd think he was broke."
When he was in college, at Middle Georgia and later at the University of Georgia, her husband had said he wanted to make enough money to dress the way he wanted, Mrs. Gray said. And he loved blue jeans and colorful shirts.
Mrs. Gray said her husband, a humble and down-to earth man, was funny, loyal and trustworthy.
Mr. Gray gave much of his time to area organizations, including the Merchants Association of Columbia County. He was a member for more than 30 years, a past president, board member and chairman of the annual Christmas parade for several years.
"He'd do anything in the world you asked him to do," said Pam Randall, Merchants Association president. "The Merchants are definitely going to miss him."
The UGA graduate also was a member of the Augusta Board of Realtors, Columbia County Tax Assessor and Board of Equalization, the Martinez Toastmasters and the Martinez-Evans Jaycees. He also was a member of Sharon Baptist Church in Appling.
"He cared about Columbia County," Brown said.
When Mr. Gray wasn't working with real estate or his volunteer organizations, Mrs. Gray said her husband enjoyed a variety of activities, including riding horses, golfing, snow skiing and tending his garden, which can easily be seen from Washington Road near Raes Creek.
In fact, Mr. Gray had already planned the couple's annual ski trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo., in February.
"Unless you lived with him, you didn't see the full circle of everything he enjoyed," Mrs. Gray said.
But one thing he loved more than anything was attending UGA football games.
"He graduated from Georgia and was a die-hard Georgia fan, that's for sure," Randall said. The Grays' son, Jacob, is now attending UGA.
Brown said his friend was just a man who followed the beat of his own drummer, no matter what anyone else thought.
"He cut his own path," Brown said.
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