COLUMBIA - Ralph Charles Ray, 73, passed away Friday, March 20, 2020. Born April 11, 1946 in Parsons, West Virginia, he was the second son of the late William J. Ray and Ruth Virginia. On August 26, 1967, he married Catherine “Cathy” in Taylor, Michigan. Ralph graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1969. He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant ROTC into the U.S. Army. He was Accountable Officer for the Aviation Material Management Center, 34th General Support Group, 1st Aviation Brigade in Tan Son Nhut, near the city of Saigon, Vietnam. His service earned him the Bronze Star. Ralph was stationed Stateside at Ft. Eustis and Ft. Lee in Virginia; Ft. Walters in Texas; and Ft. Benjamin Harrison in Indiana.
After the Army, Ralph returned to Michigan, where he worked in the IT field as a programmer, systems analyst and consultant before moving to Clearwater, Florida in the early 1990’s. His work continued as a computer consultant after moving to Marietta, Georgia. He and his wife, Cathy, have resided in North Springs since 2004 and he has since retired from his consulting field in 2010. Since his retirement, he was logged over 25,000 miles, WALKING! In 2016, he adopted Clemson Highway from Lightwood Knot to Hard Scrabble Road as RALPH’S ROUTE for the Adopt-A-Highway Program for South Carolina. No doubt you’ve seen him there nearly every day. A honk and a wave did not go unacknowledged.
Ralph is survived by his wife, Cathy, of 52 years; son, Steve Ray (Ness); daughter, Laurie Gersky (Jon); brother, Lee Ray (Sue); sister, Dyanna Stafford (Bill); brother, Richard Ray (Pamela); three grandchildren, Karissa, Caden and Kylar; and several nieces and nephews.
Private services at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, Columbia, SC will be held on March 27, 2020.
Interment will be scheduled at a later date in Ft. Jackson National Cemetery with military honors.
Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.
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