Skip to content
Obituaries
Link copied to clipboard

George E. Ray, 94, funeral director and Navy veteran.

He was active in the community and his church.

George E. Ray
George E. RayRead more

SOME PEOPLE can tell a joke; some people can't.

George Ray could start a joke just fine, but as he was nearing the punch line, the anticipation was too much for him. He would break into laughter before he got it all out.

George was a funeral director with the kindness and compassion endemic to his profession, but George seemed to have an extra dose of concern when it came to helping all people along with the bereaved.

"He possessed an array of dazzling antidotes for life's trials and tribulations," his family said.

George Emerson Ray, owner of Ray's Funeral Home at 1525 W. Dauphin St., a devoted churchman and Navy veteran of World War II, died Tuesday at age 94.

George, the son of George A. Ray and the former Amelia McKinney, was raised in Farrell, Mercer County, Pa., where he received his early education.

He enlisted in the Navy and served with the 34th Construction Battalion (Seabees), which operated in the South Pacific.

After his discharge in 1946, he moved to Philadelphia, where he met Deso Collins. They were married in 1948.

George worked a number of jobs, including with the North Carolina Mutual Insurance Co., as a postal worker and as a taxi driver before he decided to get into the funeral business.

He served an apprenticeship with the George Stanton Funeral Home and attended the Echols College of Mortuary Science, from which he graduated. He and his wife started the Ray Funeral Home in 1951.

George joined Thankful Baptist Church in 1952, and served as treasurer for more than 50 years. He was past president of the Quaker City Funeral Directors Association and a member of the boards of the Columbia YMCA and the Berean Institute.

He also was a member of the Elks and was a 33rd degree Mason.

He was predeceased by his wife. He is survived by a brother, Paul E. Ray Sr.; a sister, Norma Green; and his longtime companion, Marguerite Vance.

Services: 11 a.m. today at Thankful Baptist Church, 1608 W. Allegheny Ave. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be at Northwood Cemetery, 15th and Haines streets.