Raymond Carl McCreary

Ray was born on September 12th, 1944, in Columbus, Ohio. The son of Carl and Ethel (Hart) McCreary. Raised in Etna, Ohio, Ray earned his education from Watkins Memorial High school and graduated in 1963, where he participated in many activities such as baseball and basketball alongside his friends.

After high school, Ray played and exceled at softball, bowling, golf, and, later in life, eating chips in front of the TV. He lived vicariously through the Ohio State Buckeyes, helping, in his mind, with every tackle, drive, and special teams play, in between handfuls of Lay’s.

In 1966, Ray married the love of his life, Cindy Gammell. Together they raised two children. One awesome son, David, (the author of this obit) and an okay daughter, Christine (maybe next time she won’t make me write the obit). He worked hard to lead the family that we were blessed to be part of. A family with nothing but loving, lasting memories.

If you ever had the pleasure of meeting Ray, you instantly knew you had a new friend. Not long after, you would start to question that feeling until you realized his love language was teasing. A regular Don Rickles, this guy. (Sorry for the dated reference, but, IYKYK) (Also, IYKYK stands for “If You Know You Know” for those who know of Don Rickles, but not the slang of today). If Ray was teasing you, he loved you. And the proof is in the number of friends he had. More friends than the number of potato chip crumbs under his recliner (Again, we cannot stress enough how much he liked chips).

Ray loved to laugh. He’d share story after story with friends and family. Stories to make you smile and laugh. Sometimes he’d share the same story over and over, for no other reason than to make your day brighter. We all love reruns, so his repeated stories still made us smile.

So, today, in honor of Ray, make a new friend, share a story, tease a friend, and laugh often.

Ray is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Cindy, his son David (Tabby) McCreary, his daughter Christine (Phil) Lintz, his six grandchildren: Coty Bader, Sebastian (Kendall) McCreary, Hayden Lintz, Delaynie Lintz, Maxwell Lintz, and Lucy Lintz, one great granddaughter Annastyn Kilbarger, and four grand-furbabies: Maverick McCreary, Teddi Lintz, Mr. Moseby Lintz, and Rocky Lintz. He is also survived by his two sisters, Bonnie Rine and Patsy (Dave) Hickle and many nieces, nephews, and extended family. Also survived by so many friends that he cherished like family.

Ray is proceeded in death by his parents, Billy and Ethel McCreary and his brother Michael McCreary.

Calling hours will be Tuesday, January 14, 2025 from 5pm to 8pm and Wednesday, January 15th from 11am to 12pm at Jersey Church, where he’s been a member since 1984, at 13260 Morse Road New Albany, Ohio. Service will immediately follow on Wednesday at 12pm. Burial will be at Pataskala Cemetery. Service will be livestreamed for those unable to attend at https://jerseychurch.org/watchfuneral/

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org