William Herbert Ray, 02 Apr 1943 - 19 Aug 2022

RAY, DILLEY, PETERSON, KIMBER, JOHNSON

Posted By: Sarah Witte (email)
Date: 9/14/2022 at 15:56:10

William Herbert Ray, 79, died suddenly of natural causes on Aug. 19, 2022, at his home in Cedar Rapids. He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on April 2, 1943, the son of William Howard Ray and Margery Katherine Dilley Ray.

Ray grew up in Marion, Iowa, and graduated from Marion High School in 1961. In early life through high school, he went by his middle name (Herb). In college and later adult life he preferred to be known as Bill. He attended the University of Chicago from 1961 to 1964 and served on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967. After military service, he enrolled at the University of Iowa and completed his B.A. degree in secondary education and the social sciences. Ray taught at the high school level in Carroll, Iowa, for several years and then at the middle school level in Rawlins, Wyoming, for many years. After leaving education, he worked as a skilled machinist involved with appliance manufacturing, primarily at the Amana factory in eastern Iowa. He was active in his union, and a strong supporter of organized labor.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by his son, Casey Owen Ray, and his grandson, Sullivan James Ray, both of East Lansing, Mich. He is also survived by a sister, Katherine Ray Peterson of Colorado Springs; a brother, David Ray of New Roads, La.; a cousin who was raised with him as a brother, James Kimber of Cedar Rapids, and his wife, Joanne Byse Kimber; a niece, Michele Peterson; a nephew, Michael Peterson; and a special first cousin, Lyn McLean Johnson.

Bill loved sports, played football and basketball in high school, and was an avid Iowa Hawkeyes fan. He was a gifted writer focused on both sports journalism and articles about Iowa history that appeared in regional literary journals. His first love was music of all kinds, especially live performances by local musicians. He built a huge collection of recorded music and had extensive knowledge of musical history. In retirement, he published a newsletter guide to recorded great performances by musicians in all categories.

A memorial service will be announced at a future date. After cremation by Cedar Memorial, Ray’s ashes will be buried with a memorial tree on his son’s property in Michigan.

Published in The Gazette on September 11, 2022.