Stephen F. Ray

Stephen Floyd Ray, 39, of Madison, Mississippi went home to be with the Lord on February 7, 2011, after an eight-year battle with melanoma. Born in Kosciusko, Stephen grew up in Madison and was a 1990 graduate of Madison Ridgeland High School. Following graduation, he attended Holmes Community College and Mississippi State University. After college, Stephen worked as an anesthesia technician at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center and as a locksmith with Cooper's Lock and Key. For the past ten years, Stephen worked as the access control project manager with Capitol Hardware Company in Ridgeland.

He is remembered as a wonderful son and friend. An avid hunter, Stephen was a member of Sulphur Springs Hunting Club, where he dropped several deer in their tracks. As a guitarist for the band, Southern Ground, he loved playing blues and rock-and-roll music. Being a lifelong Mississippi State fan, Stephen recently received an autographed football from Coach Dan Mullen ? GO DAWGS! Among his many life accomplishments, Stephen was proud he could allow his father to become a grandpa before his 1997 death.

Stephen was preceded in death by his father, Jimmy Ray, his maternal grandparents, Floyd and Katherine Welch, and his paternal grandparents, Sam and Vauline Ray. He is survived by his mother, Carolyn Welch Ray, and brother, Michael Ray. Stephen is also survived by his aunts and uncle, Denise Simmons (Donnie), Linda Burroughs (Kailey), and James Lawrence (Martha), as well as numerous other relatives.

Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. on February 10 and 10-11 a.m. on February 11 at Wright and Ferguson Funeral Home in Ridgeland. Services will commence at 11 a.m. on February 11 at the funeral home's chapel and will be officiated by Dr. Jay Richardson of Highland Colony Baptist Church. Stephen will be interred at 2 p.m. at Parkway Cemetery in Kosciusko.