She was born in Duluth GA in 1917. She was predeceased by her husband Raymond Buford Wray (Papa Wray) who passed away in December of 1988. While he was the love of her life, she didn’t make it easy for him. Papa Wray had to ask for her hand in marriage twice! When asked why she said no the first time, her answer was simple, “I didn't think he was ready yet.” While caught off guard and perhaps a little discouraged, he was not deterred. He did what he needed to do to get her to say yes and what followed was a true love story.
Mama Wray and Papa Wray were married in 1942 and shared an amazing life together. Papa Wray started his career in the very first Publix grocery store in Winter Haven, FL. They would soon move to Lakeland FL where Publix established their corporate headquarters. Mama Wray and Papa Wray would spend the next 40+ years in Lakeland, working hard and raising a family. After Papa Wray retired from Publix, they traveled extensively. Always together, they visited too many foreign countries to list and every U.S. state, except for North Dakota. Shortly after Papa Wray passed away in 1988, unsure and a bit anxious about what life would look like without him, Mama Wray bravely moved to Tallahassee to be closer to her three daughters, Shirley, Judy and Donna. At the time, and in her wildest dreams, she never would have imagined her family would grow to the size it has. Whenever asked, she would always say her move to Tallahassee was one of the best decisions she ever made.
Mama Wray would spend the next 3+ decades in Tallahassee enjoying her rapidly growing family and countless number of friends while tirelessly travelling between Tallahassee, St. George Island, FL and Sky Valley, GA. Today, her family includes her three daughters Shirley Wray Pace of Tallahassee, FL; Judy Wray Shultz (John) of St George Island FL; and Donna Wray Stafford (Mark Stafford, deceased) of Crawfordville, FL. She also enjoyed her nine grandchildren: Amanda Pace Kollar (Bill Kollar, deceased/Frank) of Asheville, NC; Jake Pace (Leslie) of Atlanta, GA; Wray Pace of Tallahassee, FL; Tracy Dempsey (Bubba) of Crawfordville, FL; Mark Stafford of Atlanta, GA; Jeffery Stafford (Jennifer) of Tallahassee, FL, Michelle Hicks (Bert) of St. George Island, FL; Rick Kennedy of Tallahassee, FL; Wendy Loy (Derrick) of Tallahassee, FL. The list of great-grandchildren has now grown to 23 and the list of great-great-grandchildren now stands at 4.
Mama Wray lived to be 101. While she was an invaluable resource with a wealth of knowledge and experience she always stopped short of impressing her opinions upon anyone. Yet when asked she would share her thoughts – always honest, considerate and respectful.
When asked how she stayed so healthy for so long, her answer was always the same, “Everything in life should be enjoyed in moderation” and “Always have something to look forward to”.
Over the course of her life she wore several hats and played countless roles all valuable. She was a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother. Mama Wray was a role model for her family and they were lucky to have her in their lives for over 100 years. The time spent with Mama Wray was a blessing and will be cherished forever.
A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, June 22nd, 2019, at 3:00pm at the Maguire Center of Westminster Oaks. Mama Wray loved and enjoyed flowers. Any floral tributes received will be distributed to the residents of Westminster Oaks Health Center (A request made by Mama Wray herself).
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