After graduating from West High in 1964, Ray met and fell in love with Bobbie Simmons. A year later he was drafted and served two years with the Army Corps of Engineer, including one year in Vietnam. The two lovebirds exchanged frequent letters and even planned their wedding by mail.
Bobbie and Ray were married on June 15, 1968. Their first child, Carl, was born in 1975, and their second, Adam, was born in 1980.
In 1989, Ray joined his wife Bobbie in starting the first fully licensed home daycare. He did everything from cooking and handyman work to comedy and acting as a jungle gym. To the children who knew him as “Mr. Ray,” he was basically family.
Ray also served at his church, taking care of those often-unseen jobs like setting up tables and chairs, working on the facilities and even building a play structure for the children. He loved cooking and serving at the annual Mother-Daughter Luncheon, because he knew it brought joy to the ladies who attended.
On vacation, Ray loved camping, canoeing and later adventuring on his Arctic Cat Quad. He also doted on his grandchildren and loved spending time with each of them.
Ray passed away on October 8, 2020.
Funeral services are being planned for October 17th, but due to current restrictions, it will not be open to the public. The family plans to share a link to allow all of his loved ones the opportunity to attend online.
Ray will be laid to rest at Phoenix Memorial Park and Mortuary.
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