Meet Your Neighbors • The Gray Family

The story of how Dana and Matt Gray met is a testament to how fate finds a way to bring people together. Dana and Matt both worked for lawmakers at the State Capitol, and they found themselves on the same elevator heading to a meeting they had each been tasked with attending on behalf of their respective employers. Matt asked Dana if he could take her out to lunch, and she said yes— but there was another hurdle he had to jump. “I didn’t give him my number, only the name of the lawmaker I worked for, so I waited to see if he went to the effort of looking up the info and reaching out to me,” Dana explains. “Many lunch dates later, here we are!”

The pair continued with their individual career paths at the Capitol, and when they started a family, Dana stayed home with their kids for several years. During that time, she worked as a Girl Scout leader and dedicated time to school and social events, helping connect her to the community. Seven years later, Dana re-entered the workforce as an assistant to a real estate agent. Soon, she discovered a passion for helping people in a meaningful way and became a realtor, spearheading the Gray Group Real Estate team.

Matt stayed at the California State Legislature for years before becoming a lobbyist. He worked on a variety of issues within the small business, housing, buildings and trades, public safety and public health industries. Later, Matt decided to switch gears, earning an accredited certification as a residential and commercial property inspector for SacPro Home Inspections, Inc.

Dana and Matt have lived on Castec Drive in Arden Park for more than two decades, moving to the area after they married. “We have loved raising our kids here!” they say. “It has been so ideal—being in a place where we feel safe allowing our kids to walk the dogs on their own when they were little, ride their bikes to school, play soccer, swim, and go for a bike ride to a friend’s house is rare.”

Matt formerly served as the Arden Park HOA president, and he and Dana have come to value their community more and more with each passing year. The couple explains that their Arden Park family (the “Taco Crew”) was a godsend during the pandemic, helping each other through the darkest days.

Two kids help complete the Gray family. Their youngest, 16-year-old Dylan, is a junior at Rio. Matt and Dana describe him as kind, adventurous, smart, funny, and personable. They also admire his loyalty. “Once, at an away camp, a friend was being picked on by another kid, and Dylan—a black belt—quickly took control of the situation by holding the bully down and asked if he would ‘please’ stop putting his hands on his friend,” Dana and Matt explain. “We are so proud of him for sticking up for his friends and taking care of the situation without being violent.”

At Rio, Dylan has immersed himself in engineering department courses like robotics, welding, and woodworking, and he’s currently finishing up the restoration

by Alexandra Hruz

of a 1967 Mustang. Dylan hopes to one day get a degree in aeronautical engineering and become a pilot.

Older sister Sarah is 20 years old and a sophomore at Chico State, where she’s a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. Matt and Dana say their daughter is kind, tenacious, an amazing friend, funny, adventurous, smart, and determined. “She decided she wanted to be a dietitian in her sophomore year of high school and has never looked back,” they explain. “She loves working out and being healthy and helping people. It is a perfect career path for her!” Though she’s busy with her studies, Sarah still makes time for thrifting, pottery making, jewelry making, and gardening.

The Grays love traveling together; quick trips are their favorite ones to plan. “We usually like to go to places that are unique and fun with a little adventure!” they say. Some of the places they’ve ventured include Yellowstone Park, Hearst Castle, Bodie ghost town, Filoli in Woodside, Pismo Beach, Santa Cruz, Stinson Beach, and Lake Tahoe. They also regularly visit San Francisco and Golden Gate Park. The family is outdoorsy too and likes to hike; some of their favorite trails are Phantom Falls in Oroville, the Redding Waterfall Loop, and Fern Canyon near Eureka. In and around Arden Park, the Grays often frequent local businesses, citing 19 Handles, Duke’s, Mas Taco, Plan B, Ettore’s, Wildwood, and Bella Bru as some of their favorite places.

The Grays feel fortunate to have spent so many years with their family in Arden Park, and they look forward to continuing to nurture their relationships.

“Valuing family, friends, and community are the virtues for how we embrace life and are the underlying basis for how we live our lives,” they explain. “We enjoy meeting and getting to know people, and the privilege of getting to see the world through their diverse perspectives.”