H Ray Thompson

Missionary, Dr. H. Ray Thompson

August 9, 1932 – December 25, 2019

Ray went to be with his Savior and Lord on Dec 25th after a short illness.

Ray accepted Christ as his Savior at age 13 and felt called to preach at 16. He enrolled in Tennessee Temple College in 1950 where he met his future wife, Jean Carey. They were married in 1952.

In 1955 they went to the Caribbean to serve as missionaries. They joined Baptist International Mission Inc in 1964. In 1977 BIMI asked him to relocate to the international office where he continued to serve as Caribbean Director and later as VP Executive Director. After 63 years, he stepped down from fulltime ministry in Aug 2018 but continued to serve as Executive Director Emeritus as he and Jean ministered to missionaries and others who were in need. He also enjoyed serving at Stanley Heights Baptist Church as a member. His ministry of prayer and encouragement continued even through much of this time of illness.

He was a missionary, camp director, church planter, pastor, Bible College president and teacher. He was a devoted husband, a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather, a faithful friend and an encourager to all who came in contact with him. He came alongside many in times of need. He was faithful to what he believed and the ONE in whom he believed.

If you ever spoke to ‘Bro T’, as he was known by many, you would know that his passion was missions! One never left his presence without hearing about what God was doing somewhere in the world and the need either to GO or to GIVE.

Those who knew him in the Caribbean knew of his talents in building. He loved to help pastors build new churches and his touch was on several buildings in the Caribbean. In the states, he continued to enjoy wood working and his grandchildren and great grandchildren have enjoyed his handy work. He will be greatly missed by family, friends and ministry partners!

Ray was preceded in death by his parents Clyde & Gladys Thompson and sister Gaynell (Thompson) Duke as well as several siblings-in-law.

He is survived by his wife Jean Carey Thompson of 67 years, son Steven Ray and daughter-in-law Sharon (Garwood) Thompson of Moore, OK and daughter Catherine Thompson of Érd, Hungary, 4 grandchildren, Dustin Ray & Christy (Wolfe) Thompson of Pawleys Island, SC; Wayne & Jean (Thompson) Williams of Comby, TX; James & Laura (Ritchey) Thompson of White Oak, TX and Eldon & Kayla (Pritchett) Thompson of Geary, OK; 10 precious great-children Abigail, Evan Ray, Evelyn, Anna, Adeline Charles, Sawyer, Adler, Grace, Scarlett Rea. He is also survived by in-laws Frances Carey, Elsie Futrell, Clyde & Saundra Futrell as well as several nephews and nieces.

A Celebration of Ray’s Life will be held in the Stanley Heights Baptist Church on Tuesday December 31, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Brent Baughman officiating. The family will receive friends on Monday evening at the East Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. He will be laid to rest following the service in the Chattanooga Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to: Baptist Int’l Missions Inc., P.O. Box 9, Harrison, TN 37341. https://www.bimi.org/giving/home.php

Arrangements are under the care of Chattanooga Funeral Home Crematory and Florist East Chapel, 404 South Moore Rd. East Ridge, TN 37412.

Please share your thoughts and memories at www.ChattanoogaEastChapel.com