Nelta Ray's Obituary
Nelta Ruth Buie Ray, known to family and friends as Nelta, Mother, and Mimi, passed away early in the morning of January 3, 2016. Nelta called East Texas home for most of her life. Nelta and her husband, Don, lived in Diana, Texas for nearly 20 years before his passing in 2011. Nelta loved to read, study, and teach the Bible. She was a dedicated Sunday School teacher throughout her life and was most recently a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Longview. She was also very gifted at interior design and loved to surround herself with art and beauty. She found great joy in the many dogs she owned and loved. She found her greatest joy, however, in her Savior Jesus Christ and her family--her parents, brother, husband, three children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, all of whom she loved very dearly.
Nelta was born in Gilmer, Texas, the only daughter of Sidney Tolbert Buie and Blanche Moore Buie, on February 12, 1934. Nelta attended the University of Texas in Austin, where she met Donald Lee Ray, of Kilgore, at a gathering for students from East Texas. She married Don in the living room of her family home in Diana, Texas on December 24, 1953 and soon moved to Virginia, where Don entered the army and served until 1954. After leaving the army, Don joined Amoco Production Company as an engineer, and Don and Nelta spent the next 30 years living all over the U.S., as they moved for his work. In each place she lived, including Odessa, Midland, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Tulsa, and Chicago, Nelta made a beautiful home for her family and cultivated lasting friendships. Each time the family moved, Nelta’s first priority was to find a house of worship where her children could grow in their faith and her family could be part of a community that served the Lord and His Kingdom. After Don’s retirement, Nelta and Don saw the world, traveling to Asia, Africa, and Europe, often with their children and grandchildren. Nelta and Don were married for 57 years.
Nelta Buie Ray is survived by her brother, Glynn Buie (Dora Dean); three children, Laura Sorrell (Mark), Rebecca Buckner (Terry), and Russell Ray; six grandchildren, Katherine and Sidney Sorrell; Sarah Elizabeth Finch (Jake) and Ben Buckner (Lauren); Christopher and Joshua Ray; and two great-grandchildren, Rebecca Claire and Jordan Finch. She is preceded in death by her husband, Donald Lee Ray; her father, Sidney Tolbert Buie; and her mother, Blanche Moore Buie.
A memorial service will be held at Evangelical Presbyterian Church at 3800 Judson Road in Longview, Texas on Saturday, January 7 at 1:00 pm.
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