R.L. Ray

FORT WORTH -- R.L. Ray, 83, died Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, in Fort Worth. Funeral: 9:30 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church, 301 S. Center St., Arlington with Dr. Joseph Frazier officiating. Interment: 11:30 a.m. in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, Dallas, Lane C. Visitation: The family will receive friends 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Wade Family Funeral Home, 4140 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington. R.L. was born March 16, 1929, in Manchester, Tenn. He was one of seven children. He joined the Armed Forces in 1947. Shortly after, R.L. was assigned to serve in the Defense Attache at the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Here is where he met his bride, Assia Ojackian. They secretly dated for two years and then married and moved to Tennessee. Assia and R.L. journeyed through their lives together for 56 years. Most of their years were spent in El Paso. He continued in his service to our country through the Armed Services until he retired in 1969, following 21 years of service. R.L. then went to work for the federal government at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. He ended his career as a Civil Service worker in overseeing the testing of government air defense systems, including the Pershing 2 and Fortran. Survivors: Wife of 56 years, Assia Ray; children, Richard Leon Ray and Karen Anita Gearinger. Richard and his wife, Liz, live in Tulsa, Okla., and they have three children, Daniel, Stephen and Kristina. Karen and her husband, Chris, live in Fort Worth, and they have two children, Jonathan and Nathan. R.L. was a loving husband, daddy and "Peapaw." He loved the Lord and was active in his church, First Baptist Church of Arlington. R.L. was a Gideon where he distributed many Bibles throughout the state of Texas. He loved his family foremost and helped many people through his life. R.L. will be greatly missed and always remembered by those who love him.