Charles Gray, 85, Rib Crib owner, teacher

Charles H. Gray, 85, of Mount Airy, a biology teacher and owner of the Rib Crib, a barbecue spot in Germantown that became a Philadelphia landmark, died Wednesday, May 6, at Einstein Medical Center after a series of strokes.

Since opening the restaurant 47 years ago, Mr. Gray had played host to such figures as former President Bill Clinton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the actors Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks, and the singer Patti LaBelle.

Neither they nor the locals who lined up on the sidewalk outside the restaurant at 6333 Germantown Ave. could get enough of his sizzling-hot baby back ribs with homemade sauce - or of Mr. Gray.

"People from all over the city show up, not only to taste the succulent ribs but also to match wits with Gray, a world-class character known for his raucous humor and waxed handlebar mustache that local kids compare to that of a walrus," The Inquirer's Acel Moore wrote in 1996.

A native of Wilmington, Mr. Gray taught science and math for almost 30 years in Philadelphia high schools.

Mr. Gray's interest in working with children attracted him to teaching. That interest also powered his quiet philanthropy, Moore wrote. Without any hoopla, he and his wife, Bessie, paid the college costs of many neighborhood children.

"Charlie Gray has helped more people than anybody I can think of," the Rev. Paul Anderson, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Mount Airy, told Moore.

The church, of which he was a longtime member, honored Mr. Gray with a ceremony in December 1996.

Mr. Gray earned a master's degree from Temple University and had completed course work for a doctorate, but his real dream always was to own a barbecue pit. One night in 1967, he got up and sketched his plans, and by 1968, with seed money from his wife and bricks from an old factory, the rib place was a reality.

Mr. Gray would teach biology at Lincoln High School, drive home, change clothes, and go to work at the Rib Crib. As the restaurant prospered, he used it as a vehicle to serve the community.

"If you want to continue to receive blessings, you have to be a blessing to somebody else," he told his family.

After suffering a series of strokes in 2012, he passed the business along to his daughter, Kimberly. His wife died June 7, 2012. A son, Dorian Charles, died in infancy.

Besides his daughter, he is survived by a sister.

A visitation will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 16, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 500 E. Mount Pleasant Ave. A funeral service will follow at 11. Burial is private.

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