Jerry "Jake" Ray

Jerry “Jake” Ethard Ray, of St. Charles, MO, passed away on Tuesday, July 10, 2018, at the age of 84. Jerry was born in St. Louis, MO on January 25, 1934 to the late Ollie “Sam” and Florence Ray, the second born of 9 children.

Jake was the devoted husband of 24 years to the late Virginia Ray (nee: Weatherly) until her untimely passing in 1981. He was remarried 22 years ago to his surviving second wife, Judith. Jake was the beloved father to daughter, Monica (Stan) Crain and son, Michael A. Ray; loving grandfather to Kelly Wollmerhouser and Cody Crain; cherished great-grandfather to Tyler, Natalie, and Samantha; and dear brother of Harold “Hardy” Ray, the late Robert “Bob” Ray, Walter Ray, the late Donald “Toss” Ray, Joan Coyle, Carol Coyle, Shirley Armstrong, and Ronald “Ron” Ray. He will be missed by his family and friends, but will be remembered in memories filled with love & laughter.

Jake was always willing to lend a hand and help when needed. We will miss his smile and laughter and his many “love pats” as he gently grasped the back of your neck in hand and playfully shook until you broke a smile. He was an avid fan of the St. Louis Rams and always tried to see the games when they were in town, and when they left St. Louis he remained a fan. Jake always had his nose in a book if he wasn’t working. He had a passion for reading from novels and how-to books to non-fiction. He had read the Holy Bible many times and was more spiritual than many knew.

Jake’s humor was relentless and quick, and you never knew when that next tease was coming. In younger years, he was a prankster and there were many antics to his name. He was a jack of all trades from cars to concrete, carpentry to bricklaying (most times along-side a cherished friend or brother), to tricks he taught to his son and son-in-law. Jake loved life and danced through it, literally, with his wife “Ginny”. Weekends were reserved for the Saturday night dances… Oh, how they loved to dance! Between all of the work he did, there were summer weekends at the Lake of the Ozarks with boating, water skiing, fishing, swimming, and delicious barbeques. He personally taught his kids, nieces, and little brother how to water ski. Jake ice skated in the winter on ponds, and enjoyed playing basketball as a child and with his children.

He had the opportunity to travel and see many parts of the United States, and then traveled to Spain, Portugal, and Greece, while serving in the U.S. Navy. Later came Mexico, a trip to Germany with his first wife Ginny; and, years later with his second wife Judy, a trip to Egypt as well as a trip to Thailand where he rode an elephant. At 75 years old he rode in a raft through the wild rapids in the rivers of Arkansas with no injuries! He feared heights yet he climbed roofs.

His life was a glorious dance and he always tried to keep in step with the tempo. We had the blessed good fortune to watch and sometimes accompany his moves along the way

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Jake’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association or to American Cancer Society.