Never without a friend by his side

Deepa Bharath

James L. Gray was a happy man who liked to make others happy.

He loved hanging out with his friends. He treated everyone alike

and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for a pal.

Jim could tell a joke. His friends especially loved those jokes

that involved foreign accents. Jim could fake an Irish and even a

Japanese accent to perfection.

He lived in Southern California all his life. He was born in

Glendale. He served in the Navy during World War II. Jim continued as

a Navy reservist and briefly served during the Korean War as well.

He graduated from UC Berkeley and moved to Newport Beach in 1949

with his then wife, Dorothy.

A turning point in Jim’s life came when restaurateur John McIntosh

opened a restaurant called Reuben’s in Newport Beach in 1960. It

later came to be called the Reuben E. Lee and was located on Coast

Highway, where the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum now operates. It

was a local landmark and now, part of the city’s history.

McIntosh called on Jim to join his restaurant business and Jim

did. He took charge of the bar and entertainment and did a

spectacular job.

He brought in bands no one had even heard about and made them a

local sensation. He plucked talented musicians from obscurity and put

them in the restaurant’s piano bar.

The drinks in the bar were made to specific recipes formulated by

the man himself. It was his idea to serve popcorn at the bar. And

that was an instant hit.

Also popular was his special margarita. Jim would top off the

drink with an egg white to create that frothy look. It looked

beautiful with the white foam on top. Sure enough, the margarita was

a house special.

Jim was a cheerful, outgoing person with an insatiable appetite

for life. He enjoyed cars especially sports cars. He owned his share

of Porsches and Jaguars.

Jim loved sports. Fishing was his favorite pastime.

But golf was his passion. He was an original member of the Irvine

Coast Golf Club, which is now the Newport Beach Country Club. He was

also a member of the Newport Beach Athletic Club. A natural athlete,

Jim also enjoyed skiing and windsurfing.

He was a good friend. Jim was always ready to help -- be it

getting them a job or helping them during a time of crisis or giving

them much-needed encouragement.

“You’re going to wear silk shorts some day,” Jim once told a

friend whom he had helped get a job at Reuben E. Lee. “You’re going

to drive a car and you’ll stick a cigar out the window.”

Jim was married and divorced twice. He was married 20 years to

Dorothy and another 20 years to Anna. Both were at his memorial

service as was his ex-girlfriend and current girlfriend.

For the last two days of his life, an endless stream of visitors

poured through his doorstep.

Family surrounded him when he took his last breath and was holding

the hand of a dear friend.