Samuel Ray Frizzell Jr.

Ray Frizzell, Jr., 92, passed peacefully from this life on April 8. He was a dedicated, Christian servant who was in his 75th year of preaching the gospel of Christ, spending the last 28 years as the beloved minister of the Shackle Island Church of Christ.

Ray was preceded in death by the love of his life, Jeane Smiley Frizzell, his parents, Samuel Ray Frizzell, Sr., and Amy Frizzell, and his brother, Dennis Frizzell.

He is survived by his devoted daughter, Carole (James) Smith, daughter Kayren Young, granddaughters Holly (Ron) Hogan and Jenny (Walter) Rayburn; three great grandchildren: Marley and Atticus Rayburn and Maeve Hogan, as well as several nieces and nephews and countless friends by whom he will be dearly missed.

He and his faithful, loving wife, Jeane Smiley Frizzell, worked together as a team, serving churches in Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, and Alabama, as well as several churches throughout middle and eastern Tennessee. He had a deep love for souls and was an accomplished teacher and preacher. He participated in countless mission trips, Christian camps, vacation Bible schools, and gospel meetings. He was always there for others, through their sad and happy times. He stood alongside hundreds of families for whom he conducted funerals for their loved ones, and he was honored to perform the wedding ceremonies of countless couples throughout the years.

He was known for his deep love for the Lord and for his family, for his wonderful sense of humor, his willingness to serve others in any way that he was needed, and for his big shoulder and listening ears to countless people who sought his wisdom and counseling. He encouraged and mentored many men to preach the gospel, and many people where he taught and preached ultimately became preachers, elders, deacons, and servants in many ways in the Lord’s church.

He graduated as Valedictorian from Cohn High School in 1946, where he served as chaplain of his senior class, was voted Most Likely to Succeed, was President of the Honor Society, the class historian, and the State President of the Hi-Y Convention held in Nashville in 1945. The Hi-Y was a club that was service-oriented and stood for high morals. He was the sports editor in 1945 and Editor-in-Chief in 1946 of their high school newspaper, The Clarion.

He turned down a full scholarship from Vanderbilt to become a surgeon, and instead attended David Lipscomb as a Bible major. He was committed to a life of saving souls for all of eternity instead of working with physical bodies that would one day die. He never, for one second, regretted his decision. At David Lipscomb, he was a beloved and talented member of the debate team, and a favorite of his teachers and fellow students.

Ray’s Celebration of Life is planned for Saturday, April 17th at 2:00 at the Goodlettsville Church of Christ, 401 South Main St. with visitation from noon until 2:00. Those desiring to make memorial contributions in his honor may do so to: Shackle Island Church of Christ, 3578 Long Hollow Pike, Goodlettsville, TN 37072 for the “Ray and Jeane Frizzell Bible Scholarship.”