Nancy Munder Gray

NANCY MUNDER GRAY was born November 7, 1954 in Trenton, N.J., to Vera and William Munder Sr. On June 2, 2021, she passed away, surrounded by her family. As her husband Steve frequently shares, "Everyone loved her and she loved everyone." Nancy grew up in Trenton and graduated from Trenton High School. She was the first in her family to graduate from college, attending Bucknell University, majoring in Chemistry. She received her doctorate in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Illinois. Nancy met her husband, Steve, while in their graduate program. They were married for 42 years and enjoyed a very close and loving relationship. They have 2 children, Alan and Kristin, and later, 4 grandchildren. Together, they enjoyed traveling, skiing, gardening, snowshoeing, hiking, cooking, and especially, being grandparents. Her career moved their family to Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Massachusetts, Alabama, and most recently, Arkansas. Nancy was a female pioneer in Chemistry and was one of only 2 women in her undergraduate Chemistry class. When asked to quit upon becoming pregnant in her fourth year of graduate school program, her husband, who was also a student in the program, and, understanding her growth potential, offered to quit to stay home with their son instead. Both completed their degrees. Steve dedicated his thesis to Nancy including, "This thesis would not be possible without the constant help of one person, my wife, Nancy M. Gray. Not only did she lead me through my coursework, but her skills as a chemist provided a ready and willing source of inspiration, love, and knowledge." Dr. Gray had more than 30 years of experience in biomedical industries including medicinal chemistry research, management of pharmaceutical research and development, and business operations. She worked in various executive roles at Monsanto Corporation, Vaxinnate Corporation, Elan Corporation, and later, at the Southern Research Institute. Most recently, she was the President of BioVentures at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences and a Professor in the College of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. UAMS BioVentures was established to translate research into products that benefit human health. BioVentures works to maximize global, industrial interaction with UAMS faculty, as well as facilitate technology transfer, the development of startup companies that are based on UAMS technology, and contributions to Arkansas' economic development. Dr. Gray's research work on central nervous system diseases resulted in three products being accepted for clinical development in five years. She was also instrumental in the development of two marketed second generation antihistamines, Allegra and Xyzal. Nancy is also the inventor on 31 issued U.S. patents and the author of 23 publications. Even with her tremendous professional success, Nancy's favorite title was Grandma. She loved spending as much time with her grandchildren as possible, spoiling them with love, handmade gifts, and treats. Her dying wish was to see her grandbabies one last time and the family is very thankful to the team at UAMS who were able to make that happen in her final hours. Nancy is survived by her loving husband, Steve; beloved son, Alan; beloved daughter, Kristin Hanna; daughter-in-law, Marika; son-in-law, Bradley; and amazing grandchildren, Lucas Hanna (5), Benjamin Hanna (3), McKenzie Hanna (1) and Alden Gray (8 months). She is also survived by her sister, Charlene Christiano; brother, Bill Munder; sister-in-law, Lisa Munder; brother, Joe Munder; sister-in-law, Sue Munder; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. A memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 2 p.m. at Ruebel Funeral home in Little Rock. The recording of the ceremony can be viewed after the service on the Ruebel Funeral Home YouTube page or by viewing Nancy's online obituary condolence page at RuebelFuneralHome.com. Whether or not you are able to attend the service, in person or virtually, please celebrate the life of your friend, colleague and loving family member. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a memorial donation to Bioventures at UAMS by calling (501) 686-6696, or the University of Arkansas Medical School College of Pharmacy via https://giving.uams.edu/. After a career devoted to innovation, Nancy would be honored to know that you were helping to advance innovation in her name.