Mr. Raymond "Ray" Pardue Carson

Ray was born on August 17, 1940 in Selma, Alabama, to Stella Pardue Carson and Joseph Reginald Carson. Ray proudly claimed Ft. Lauderdale, Florida as his hometown; his family having moved there when he was 6 months old. Ray was a graduate of Ft. Lauderdale High school in 1958. He attended Florida State University where he met his wife, Myra Frances Simpson, whom he married on September 3, 1960, in Miami, Florida.

Ray was baptized into Christ at a young age, remaining faithful to Christ until death and was a loyal, life-time member of the Church of Christ. He had a quiet faith, the trusting faith of a child, with little patience for endless conversations having no answers. He loved his family simply but deeply, and was honest to his core, having the unique ability to examine himself, often admitting his own shortcomings. He was dearly loved by his family.

Ray worked for Life of Georgia for 24 years, serving as a Supervisor in Ft. Lauderdale (1962), then as the District Manager in Jackson, Mississippi (1976), before moving to the Home Office in Atlanta, Georgia (1985). After his retirement from Life of Georgia, Ray worked for a time in Physician Recruitment.

Ray was an avid sportsman and sports fan. He played baseball, basketball, and football from a young age through high school. In 1960, he discovered a love for fishing after buying his first boat. He first fished in the Atlantic before switching gears to the Everglades, where he was forever grateful to enjoy some of the world’s best bass fishing. His granddaughters fondly remember their ‘Papa’ teaching them to dig for worms to fish in the pond behind his house. In the 1970s, Ray began playing golf, which became a favorite pastime for over thirty years. To his partners’ amusement, he had an obsession for hunting golf balls on the course, which at times was more fun for him than making par! Ray also greatly enjoyed watching sports, especially his favored Alabama Crimson Tide and, secondly, the Florida State Seminoles.

In his later years, Ray began his long-time woodworking hobby, creating wooden toys, restoring/reselling furniture, and turning beautiful wooden pieces on his lathe. He often expressed joy ‘watching the wood dictate,’ as wood-turners like to say, ‘what it wanted to be.’

Ray loved history, especially the War Between the States and WWII. He was his family’s go-to person for their geography questions. Being a life-long learner with an impressive memory, he had the unique ability to easily converse with anyone. Ray had a great sense of humor and enjoyed making people laugh. He once said he always wanted to be the class clown!

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Myra; a daughter, Danelle Carson Dietrich (Terry); two granddaughters, Carson Dietrich Strickland (John) and Kylar Dietrich Hicks (Trey); twogreat-grandsons, Wilder Hicks and Isaac Strickland; an older brother, Joseph Carson (Dee); a niece, Cathy Swanson (Eric); a nephew, Joseph Carson, Jr. (Kelli); and a host of grand and great-grand nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to Ray’s Remembrance at the East Cobb Church of Christ, Marietta, Georgia, from 2:00– 4:00 pm on January 25, 2025, to reminisce and honor Ray’s life.