Courtesy Dan Stec's office (2021).
State Senator Dan Stec, left, and Michael DuBray ham-it-up at a Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids' Sake event last year. Dubray was 49 when he died.
Michael DuBray, a well-known local DJ and radio personality in Glens Falls for more than three decades, died suddenly Tuesday, a day after posting on Facebook that he was having surgery at Glens Falls Hospital.
Known for his kindness and his willingness to help out a worthy cause, DuBray, 49, was a fixture at downtown Glens Falls events. He was an ever-present ambassador for the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce. He was long involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters. One local non-profit executive said DuBray’s death was a huge blow to the nonprofit community.
“Mike was everywhere,” said longtime friend and WCKM personality Dan Miner. “He was very involved in the Elks Club…He was president of Kiwanis. He did the Duck Race. If there was something going on, he would be there.”
He loved chicken wings, and took his role as the WingFest coordinator for the Glens Falls Collaborative seriously, with his ever-present smile and hearty laugh.
Collaborative President Robin Barkenhagen said this year’s WingFest will be held in honor of DuBray, and the winning trophy will be named after him.
“I don’t think I ever saw him down,” Barkenhagen said. “I never saw him having a bad day. Maybe he was. I’m sure everyone does, but you never saw it in Mike. He just kept pushing on with a big smile on his face and was always happy to be where he was.”
DuBray, a longtime personality on Regional Radio’s WCKM, had recently returned to the station after spending 18 months at a station near Gloversville.
“He came back home,” said longtime friend and fellow WCKM personality Dan Miner. “He told me he felt like George Bailey in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ when he walked down Glen Street and everyone knew him and everyone said hello.”
Pete Cloutier, also with WCKM, said: “And he would never charge for his services.”
DuBray, who had significant health issues as a child and underwent experimental treatments for a growth hormone deficiency, was the DJ at dozens of wedding receptions a year.
Mike Sullivan said a co-worker of his at G.A. Bove Fuels was also a wedding DJ and was sick and couldn’t do the work. Sullivan called DuBray, and DuBray stepped in. The following Monday, DuBray gave half the earnings to the other DJ.
“That’s the kind of guy he was,” Sullivan said.
Attorney Tucker Stanclift wrote on Facebook that he met DuBray in 1997 at Glens Falls' Bullpen Tavern at a ladies’ night. DuBray was introducing himself to women, telling them he was a jockey at Saratoga.
“Little did I know then he was neither a jockey or little. Mikey was a giant in our community, a fellow Elk and a friend. I will miss his gentle nature and his smiling face.”
In a 2019 Glens Falls Living profile, DuBray wrote that he hoped to see more fresh faces participate in the area’s many nonprofits and service clubs.
Amanda Blanton, who worked closely with DuBray in her role with ARCC, wrote on Facebook: “Mike was a great friend to many of us, and to be honest, the most selfless person I ever had the pleasure of knowing…He gave, and gave, and then gave some more…This community will miss him.”
Miner said: “There were times that Mike didn’t have a pot to pee in, but it wouldn’t stop him from doing anything for you. And he finally had it all together. He had some bumps in the road. Everyone does. But it’s such a gut punch because he finally had things going his way.”
From Dubray's Facebook page (2022)
Michael DuBray was a big, big Packers fan.