Lee Ellis Bray

Lee Ellis Bray, born March 5, 1936, in Independence, Missouri, passed away at home in Sugar Land, Texas, October 25, 2015, at the age of 79, due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease. He graduated from East High in Kansas City, Missouri, where he played basketball and track and was also an Eagle Scout. It was there that he met his wife, Twila June Baylie, and they were married August 27, 1957.

He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He began his career with Western Electric, which later became AT&T, where he retired after 35 years as an Executive VP at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. During his career, he completed management programs at Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School, and Lehigh University.

Lee also demonstrated a strong commitment to health care and to the community by serving on the Board of Directors for BlueCross BlueShield of NM, TX, CO, OK, NV, & IL. He retired in January 2007 after serving on the Board for over 25 years.

Additionally, he served as Chairman of the Albuquerque Business Education Compact, Chairman of the Governor’s Business Executives for Education, Vice Chairman of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the United Way City Wide Campaign, and as a Director and Consultant to the Community Training and Assistance Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

All his life he was an active member of a Baptist Church congregation and was a Deacon and Bible Study Teacher. Lee was an avid golfer and enjoyed watching his beloved Kansas Jayhawk basketball games.

Lee was preceded in death by his parents, Earl Ellis Bray and Mary Elizabeth Honack Bray. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Twila Baylie Bray; son, David Bray and his wife Elizabeth; daughter, Terri Bray Taylor and her husband Michael; grandchildren, Monteil and Michelle Bray, and Audrey and Nathan Ellis Taylor; sister, Martha Gillham and her husband Louis; and brother, Dean Bray and his wife Janet. Special thanks to Vanessa, Tiffinni, and Frances for their loving care the past years.

Expressions of sympathy can be made by donations to the American Parkinson Disease Association @ www.apdaparkinson.org.

A Graveside Service will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, November 14, 2015, at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Arr.: Newcomer's Floral Hills, 7000 Blue Ridge Blvd., KCMO 64133 (816) 353-1218.