Clyde Ray, Jr. died on Saturday, December 15th, 2018. He was 87 years old. Visitation will be 11 am to 1 pm on December 18th at Woodward Avenue Baptist Church.
The funeral will follow immediately with Rev. Timmy Ray officiating. The burial will be at Colbert Memorial Cemetery, with Dr. William Rushing officiating.
Clyde was born on July 26th, 1931 in Jackson, Tennessee to Clyde Ray, Sr. and Rachel Ray. In 1951 at age 19, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He served during the Korean War in a medical air evacuation unit.
He attended Florence State University and University of Tennessee before graduating from Howard College (Samford University) with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in May of 1958. Clyde Ray was a pillar of his family, his church, and of the Muscle Shoals community. He served his community as City Commissioner of Muscle Shoals and as a member of the Civil Service Board.
He was a founding member and a past president of the Alabama Nursing Home Association and was a member of the Alabama Pharmacy Association. He built and operated Shoals Nursing Home and Muscle Shoals Nursing Home and operated Oak Crest Nursing Home. In 1964, along with his best friend Don Lenz, he opened the second pharmacy in Muscle Shoals under the name Colbert Pharmacy.
He also developed and operated Medical Plaza Pharmacy, Super Sav-on Drugs, and Avalon Discount Drugs in Muscle Shoals. He brought donuts to Muscle Shoals when Tas-T-O Donuts was opened. He joined Woodward Avenue Baptist Church in 1962, where he served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher for over 50 years.
He was fiercely proud of his family and worked tirelessly and constantly to serve them and enrich their lives. He is survived by his wife, Myrtie Ray; two sons, Tim Ray (Susie) and Mark Ray (Melody); sister Ruth Evelyn Lovell; five grandchildren, Timmy (Maggie Bea), Benjamin (Chelsea), Ashton (Tyler), Noah, and Ethan, and one great-grandchild, Maddux. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clyde Ray Sr. and Rachel Ray, and by his sister, Stella Joyce Dollar.
Pallbearers will be Benjamin Ray, Tyler Sizemore, Jim Shull, Buddy Johnsey, Mike Brooks, Jerry Plaxco. Honorary pallbearers are Kelly Smith, Josh Mayfield, Dennis Whitehead, and Don Lenz. The family extends special thanks to the nurses in the Pallative Care Unit of North Alabama Medical Center.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Woodward Avenue Baptist Church or to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Both can be made by calling Woodward Avenue Baptist Church at (256) 383-4078.
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