I miss you. Still can't believe you're gone.

I miss you!

Rest in Peace Alex. and thank you
Clive

I'm thinking of Alex today. I miss you, Alex, and I love you. Sending you love and light from Los Angeles. xoxoxo, Melanie

Every memory I have of Alex is one of fun, warmth and kindness. He was so witty, intelligent and talented. Completely irreplaceable and forever missed.

This just about says it all about the Alex I loved--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w019MzRosmk&list=RDw019MzRosmk&start_radio=1&t=10

How could I have forgotten to mention that Alex was also famous for his menagerie of pets. He had a dog named Teddy, cats named Renee and Mary, a terrarium full of dwarf hamsters, fat too numerous to name and, of all things, a ferret while at NYU, breaking all the rules of pets in dorms. He brought the ferret home in a cardboard carton in a taxi. Alex cleverly turned his desk into a ferret habitat. Oh Alex......

I count myself lucky to have known Alex. From his singular style (could his pants really have been as wide as they are in my memory?) to his spectacular way with words (Elvis-like lip curl as perfect punctuation), Alex was larger than life. My heart is heavy to know that someone so sweet who brought so much fun and joy to the world is no longer in it.

These posts express how we knew the Alex best, the longest and how we loved him the most. And for each of us, that is the case. Brand new to our Pasadena neighborhood, I was immediately taken by a very trendy looking mom with a side ponytail and purposely mismatched socks. This was Leslie. She would push a small stroller around the block in which was the tallest toddler I'd ever seen. His little knees were nearly up to his chest. This was Alex. (Mind you these were the days when new moms made do with the easily collapsable umbrella stroller. The $900 must-have version had not yet been invented.) So that was the beginning of the Era of Alex and Leslie, neighbors 4 doors away. Our daughter Ashley, about 4 years younger than Alex, and, later her brother Jamen, grew up with Alex as a constant playmate and partner in mischief. Jamen couldn't say Alex so he called him Owx.  There are so many Alex stories I could tell but many require an imitation of Alex's quirky facial expressions. We followed Alex through the same nursery school, Mayfield Jr. School and then Polytechnic. Alex was in so many photos with our children that many asked if he was our son. Halloween was a big event. Leslie always made Alex outlandish costumes, some included scary masks in which Alex delighted in frightening the wits out of Ashley. Alex was in my morning carpool for years, always taking the rear-facing third row seat in my Volvo wagon. Most mornings, Alex flew about 20 feet of red ribbon through the hatchback of my car letting it flap in the wind much to the chagrin of the drivers behind me. Alex thought this was hilarious. Alex loved cars--playing with them, designing them and finally driving a number of odd ones like the orange Mercedes.  Alex organized our block party one year, made it a Hawaiian themed event and passed a jar for donations to the victims of Hurricane Iniki. What other child would concoct this? When Ashley started at Poly as a freshman, Alex was a senior, often known to wear a brown UPS cap. Why ask why? He'd saunter up and say, "Hi, Addie" (her childhood nickname.) Ashley's new frienmds would ask, "Wow, how do you know Alex Gray? "Oh, we grew up together playing dress up," she would answer. And that was true, using an enormous bag of cast-off belly dance consumes.  I've never known a duo like Alex and Leslie--a creative, unique and zany force of nature. No one appreciated Alex's idiosyncracies more than Leslie. The patience, acceptance and pure enjoyment she exuded around Alex was a joy to behold. Leslie, thank you for encouraging and inspiring Alex to be himself, and for sharing him with us. Alex, there will never be another you. We will love and remember you forever, Tess, Ashley, Jamen and Mary. 

Alex and Rob were friends starting in high school. They bonded over cars and computers and soon became fast friends for life. Alex spent a lot of time at our South Pasadena home and life was definitely fun when he was around. He was not only funny but kind and polite and even liked us, the parents! The last time we saw him was at Rob’s wedding but we miss him. I’m so sorry he’s left us and that he was sick for awhile. RIP dear heart.