Martha Henderson (Beaty) Ray

Martha Beaty Ray, wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, died peacefully in her sleep on June 21, 2018. Martha had celebrated her 100th birthday last September with her family and friends. She was born in Brooks County, Georgia on September 20, 1917 to Leslie Beaty and Laura Henderson Beaty. She grew up in Moultrie, Georgia where she lived for 52 years before moving to Atlanta, Georgia in 1969. During her childhood, one of her favorite pastimes was horseback riding on her horse “Lady”. She often reminisced about how much she enjoyed the Sunday rides with a large group of avid horsemen and the fact that she never had a problem keeping up with the men on the rides.

She graduated from Moultrie High School and attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia where she graduated with an AB degree in Biology. Years later, when in her 90’s, she was still attending class reunions at Wesleyan where she was recognized as one of the two oldest living alumni of the school.

After graduating from Wesleyan, she returned to Moultrie and took a teaching job in a rural school in Colquitt County. Not one to ever promote her own achievements, she jokingly referred to herself as the worst teacher ever and lamented that her students may have missed part of their education as a result of being in her class. Her children never believed that statement as Martha was always concerned about childhood education and the well-being of children growing up in less fortunate circumstances.

Martha married the love of her life, Homer Gene Ray, Jr. in 1942. Martha and Homer had five children and were married for 59 years until Homer’s death in 2001. Martha was devoted to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She enjoyed doing things for all of them and always recognized each and every one’s birthday with a card and a gift.

In the early 1970’s, Martha got one of her longtime wishes when Homer bought her a home on Queen Mountain in Highlands, North Carolina. They joined Wildcat Cliffs Country Club in Highlands in 1973 and enjoyed many summers there with their friends and family. Martha and Homer annually had gatherings at their house on Queen Mountain with many of their childhood friends. The group often referred to themselves as the “Moultrie Mafia” and became notorious in Highlands when a waiter in a restaurant there told his manager that he had overheard a conversation that indicated that “these people are part of the mafia”. It was later confirmed that their only crime was having too much fun with friends they had known for most of their lives.

Martha was a true patriot and expressed concern for military veterans and their families who had been impacted by their service. She felt that many veterans who had served honorably and many who had been killed or severely injured were not given the respect that they deserved. As a result, she was a staunch advocate for Wounded Warrior Project and encouraged others to actively support that organization’s charitable activities for injured veterans.

Martha is survived by her five children, Lauranna McGarrity, Homer Gene Ray III, Martha Jane Ray, Rosalind Spell and Markham Leslie Ray. Martha is also survived by nine grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren.

Visitation will be at 1:00 PM on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at Northside United Methodist fellowship hall and the funeral service will follow at 2:00 PM in the Sanctuary. The graveside service for family only will immediately follow the funeral service.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that any donations be made to the United Methodist Children’s Home or Wounded Warrior Project, two of Martha’s favorite charities.