Wray, Daniel

DANIEL WRAY

Cedar Rapids

Daniel Arthur Wray of "The Meadows" on Memorial Drive SE died Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014, of heart failure. He was 65.

Dan was born June 20, 1948 and adopted shortly thereafter by Robert and Janet Wray of Cedar Rapids, both of whom preceded him in death. He attended Arthur Elementary School, Franklin Junior High School and Washington Senior High School, graduating in 1966. He later attended Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and received a BGS degree from the University of Iowa in 1970. He received Masters of Fine Arts degrees from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1973 and Playwrights Workshop in 1974.

Dan moved to Hollywood, Calif., in 1974 and worked in a variety of film writing, acting and production roles for the next 25 years. His proudest acting moment was his bit part in the movie, "Runaway Train," and his one line ("expletive deleted!"). At the time of his death, he was editing a novel, marketing a film script entitled "A Mountain Man Christmas," and serving on a Screen Actor's Guild jury to judge current emerging films.

Dan was traumatically affected by the disappearance of his sister, Susan Wray Davis, in June 1986, in Columbia, Mo. By the following December, he had concluded that she had been abducted and murdered by her husband, Ralph Davis, yet solid proof was lacking. From his residence in Hollywood, Dan prodded local law enforcement authorities to pursue the case and was rewarded when, some five years later, it was discovered that Mr. Davis had failed to make payments on a storage garage in Columbia that housed a 1983 Ford Escort. Forensic evidence within the car included brain tissue and bone matter of his sister plus a murder weapon that contained Mr. Davis' fingerprints. It was the first court case in Missouri history where DNA evidence was presented in lieu of a body and used to prosecute Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis was judged guilty by a jury and executed under Missouri law in 1999. Dan's sister's body has never been discovered.

Dan is survived by five first cousins including, Cal (Lynne Hirleman) Coquillette of Coralville, Corey (Mike) Thompson of Red Lodge, Mont., Paul (Donna) Coquillette of Lenexa, Kan., Claudia (Addison Berry IV) Manning of Boyceville, Wis., and Mary Gale of Menominee, Wis.; and by nephew, Robert; and niece, Angie.

He is also survived by dear friends including, Keith Matthew Gale (Val) of California City, Calif., Joan and Peter Riley of Cedar Rapids and Glenn W. Harvey III of Sister Bay, Wis.

Dan could be viewed as a larger than life character, a man of lavish tastes, who believed, like Shakespeare, that "all of a life is a stage and all the world merely players." Though annoying and provocative at times, his generosity was unbounded. His life reflected the appetites of late 20th century Americans who chose to push the envelope, challenge the norm and relentlessly pursue justice on behalf of the misinformed or disadvantaged.

At Dan's express wish, his body will be cremated and his ashes interred in the family plot in Oak Hill Cemetery. A memorial service will be scheduled for this summer.