Chandler Unified teachers, administrators other longtime East Valley educators and former students have been mourning the loss of an esteemed colleague this week.
Pauline Gray died July 17 from injuries suffered in a vehicle crash in Gilbert that morning.
Within hours, some of those who knew Gray, 59, and valued her contributions as an educator, both as a teacher and as a school librarian, were praising her on social media.
The Chandler Education Association union was among those to recognize recently retired Gray’s contributions, especially at her longtime assigned site, Hancock Elementary School.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of our beloved member and retired educator, Pauline Gray,” CEA wrote on its Facebook page. “We extend our deepest sympathies to the Hancock staff, students and community.”
Gray, who retired amid the large number of retiring Chandler Unified staff in May when the 2025-26 school year ended, had been part of the original Hancock Elementary team when the school opened in 2004.
Gray’s welcoming nature was acknowledged by parents who got to know her as recently as during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ms. Gray, you were the first warm welcome we had when our kids started going to school at Hancock in 2020,” Megan Perry wrote on CEA’s post. “We were new to the school, to the community, and to Arizona in a very weird time. Seeing you every morning in front of the school as we were walking in made us feel so comfortable and truly loved and seen. You were always so helpful, supportive, and kind to me and all of my kids.”
Gray is remembered by many as part of the original Hancock staff.
Michele Chaput Dussault wrote that she was heartbroken to hear about the passing of an “OG of Hancock.”
“She was a beautiful soul with such a kind spirit and heart,” Dussault wrote. “Her passion for reading and being a librarian shined. My love and hugs go out to her girls and family.”
CEA stated that a crowdfunding account has been set up for Gray’s daughters, Melanie and Grace, and to help pay funeral expenses.
Gray, like many educators, started out as an elementary grade teacher. One of Gray’s early assignments was at Chandler Traditional Academy-Goodman.
“She was our fourth-grade teacher 2001-02 at Goodman,” Jen Chase Lynch wrote on CEA’s post. “I can’t imagine the chaos of being a teacher in a classroom of 10-year-olds on the morning of 9/11 — but she got us through it with grace.”
The crowdfunding site can be found online at spot.fund/hzd98dvsc
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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