Constance Helen Gray died Feb. 16 of natural causes in Tracy, Calif. She was 76.

Born Feb. 27, 1926, Gray grew up in Massachusetts and was a professor of biological sciences and anatomy, as well as a science writer and novelist.

After receiving her bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii and her master's and Ph.D. from UC-Berkeley, Gray was a professor at UC-Berkeley for several years. Gray then became a professor at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Gray was a resident of Saratoga for 30 years until her move to San Luis Obispo.

Survivors include children Arlene Miller of Visalia, Calif., Linda Stiborek of Tracy; sisters Dorothy Pavlik and Marion Smith of Massachusetts; brother Frank Shukls of Massachusetts; and nine grandchildren.