Being the middle brother in a family with seven boys certainly gave Committeeman Sean Gray the experience needed to be able to handle three of his own.
Gray moved to Shamong in 1994 because he thought it was a great area to settle and raise a family.
After growing up in Brooklyn and Staten Island, N.Y., and spending much of his early life there, many would argue that Shamong would deliver a great deal of culture shock.
But it was something about the people and lifestyle in Shamong that drew Gray in.
“We heard good things about the community, the schools and really liked the rural setting,” Gray said.
Gray did get some prior experience with New Jersey before coming to Shamong as he went to high school in Toms River after moving from New York in eighth grade.
He has picked up on much of the South Jersey lifestyle. However, his baseball fandom remains loyal to his hometown New York Mets.
Much like his kids, Gray was very active in sports as a boy, playing basketball and tennis at the high school level. Basketball was always his favorite sport to play, but lacrosse has quickly become his favorite sport to watch.
Anyone who plays lacrosse in the Shamong area has likely come into contact with the Gray family at some point or another.
Gray’s youngest son Ian is a rising sophomore at Seneca High School who is already a starter on the varsity team; his middle son Kevin recently graduated from Seneca after putting together a 200-plus point career and will be continuing his career at the University of Tampa in the fall; and his oldest son Sean is gearing up to play his senior season at Wagner College as he wraps up a very successful college career.
“All of my children have played lacrosse in youth leagues, high school and college over the years, so I enjoy travelling to various lacrosse tournament and college games,” Gray said.
In the offseason, the family loves to go skiing, a sport Gray has been involved in since his early days.
“I enjoy going on ski trips and vacationing with the family,” Gray said. “We have skied all over New England and Colorado.”
While Gray enjoys the cold weather and has a particular passion for Christmas and the holiday season, he also loves the sunshine as he goes on trips to southwest Florida.
However his favorite vacation spot is Positano, Italy. It’s no surprise, then, that his favorite food is pizza.
Much like his father who served as a police officer/firefighter in New York City, Gray also wanted to dedicate his time to assisting the town in which he lives.
“I had always thought it would be nice to volunteer my services on the township committee so I ran for an open seat approximately nine years ago,” Gray said.
In his nine-year stint on the committee, Gray has served as mayor, deputy mayor and in his current role as a committeeman.
Gray attended Richard Stockton College where he received a degree in business/accounting and graduated from Rutgers Law School cum laude, all while working a full-time job during the day and going to class at night.
As you might have guessed, Gray enjoys a glass of coffee in the morning to get going, just recently switching over to drinking it black.
