Ray,

I will never forget the adventures we had together. From the times at Basic House, Expo 72, early morning visits to the local high schools morning watch meetings and many other adventures. 

Your laugh and stories of life living with your granny still make me laugh today. 

God Speed my friend. 

In every story told every memory shared the light of Ray still shines.
   
When I think of Ray I Picture him with his cap on backwards cooking salmon on the grill ( the best salmon) and a laugh you could never forget. I have known Ray and Kathy for over 30 years lots of great times we shared. 
                                          Wishing you all comfort
                                                         Ro

I knew Ray way back in college in the 70s, when we were all involved in BASIC (Brothers And Sisters In Christ). He and Jimmy Bekka and some others had a 'Jesus' band that I invited to play for a youth revival at the church where I was music director. The kids loved it, but I found out that the deacons were planning to fire me for having brought drums and electric guitars into the church. At my home church, I had invited them for a revival, and a lady jumped up and yelled about the horrors of rock music in her church. It's odd now to think that some Jesus music would cause such a commotion. But we all knew we loved God and this was an expression of our faith.

I was in the Lamar University band with Ray, and was his roommate on a couple trips. I had wondered what happened to him, and ironically, I lived in Oak Point and taught in Melissa 2005-2010. It seems he had a wonderful life with a great family and a career that touched hundreds of students. It's been good to remember him, and I'll be praying for his family. May God bless you all!

May you Rest In Peace my friend and brother. I will never forget our amazing adventures together during the days of Basic House. God speed to you in your next adventure. 

Always your friend and brother

Fred Easter

Ray was my uncle , and had the honor of being named after him. I loved watching him play the drums  and always wanted  to be as cool as he was!!
One of my fondest memories was the summer of 1985. I visited he and Kat in Dallas.  Smokin Joe was living with them at the time. The Friday I arrived I got to see Ray play live in a night club... pretty cool being snuck in  to  watch the band.  We worked  the next  day  as runners for an up and coming band called the Cure.  What a trip that was. Then In the early hours of Sunday am missing an opportunity of a lifetime to meet Stevie Ray Vaughn  with Smokin Joe. I never let him forget that.! LOL. Ray was a great husband and father and I admired his  work ethic  greatly.  He loved  music and I know he loved Jesus! You are greatly missed, Rest In Peace.

What a great man Ray was. Rays infectious and contagious laugh was always welcome and brought a smile to everyone’s face. Some of my fondest memories of Ray were the impromptu concerts that could evolve over an evening with Kathy singing, Bobby on guitar and of course Ray on drums. There is one of these performances that was captured on video. It was a rendition of “Bobby McGee” and was probably recorded in the 2003 era. It was one of the greatest Tupperware drumming performances I have ever seen or heard of! Ever since, I no longer associate Bobby McGee with Janis Joplin, but with Ray, Kathy & Bobby. You will be missed. Prayers to Kathy and the boys. 

My prayers go out to Kathy and his sons for comfort and healing.

Ray taught my son private lessons from 6th through 12th grades and my son is a wonderful drummer and better person for the drum , history, and life lessons taught by Ray Hale.

I dedicate the song "To Sir With Love" to Ray Hale because he truly cared about his students as people.

Thanks to Ray for teaching Steven so many things that makes Steven the person that he is today.

I met Ray in High School Band. As a musician he was way ahead of any other local drummers, even while in High School.  We became good friends and were in a couple of Rock & Christian Rock bands together.  We had some great adventures as musicians do, as Ray was always up for a challenge! We kinda lost touch over the years but recently caught up with each other on Facebook. 
I know that he will be greatly missed by everyone that knew him and loved him. 
We’ll see him again some day!

Never met you in person but we were definitely friends through Kathy. 
Loved Social Media posts!!!
You will be missed.
Denysis

My God be with yall and me and my family will keep y'all in our prayers 




Ray was my ''little cousin'' ,- 3 years younger than me. We would cruise the ''Pig Stand'' restraunt  on the circle at 11th street in Beaumont, Tx.  Sprawling out in a cool '65 Burgendy  1964 -T-Bird.   He later meet Pattie, the love of his life.  Jimmy Becka, I  remember and he were excellent frienDs.  His early phychodelic music with his beginning group ''The 17th Shade''   WAS A SQUEEZER TO THE FLOWERCHILD  movement.,A HEAD OF HIS TIME , and later the Jesus movement.  He personally prayed for my Salvation when returning from the East Coast  with body wounds, from stashing drugs.   He knelt by me before my surgery, teaching me John 3:16.  Even under , I  remember being wheeled into O.R.  repeating that verse that Ray,  my first Cousin, had taught me.  I  miss him so.  Bless his wife Pattie and his twins.  Olivea Newton John- he played for her- drummer.  RIP  in  my Brother.

I had the absolute pleasure of  working closely with who I knew as “Mr.Ray”, for the past 6 weeks.  I was drawn to him immediately because we both loved music and he was a musical knowledge expert! Ray had this loud high pitch and infectious laugh that was very much like my own, it had its own energy, on top of the already energized Mr. Ray. It’s heartbreaking having to refer to him in past tense. I knew him only a short time but I was quite fond of him. He had a story for EVERYTHING and could relate it back to music. He had a phenomenal sense of humor and could (and did) carry on a conversation with anyone. He was proud of his children and being a Grandfather and the fact that he had been married for 36 years. Knowing how devastating this loss is for me and his fellow  co workers , I can only imagine what this means for his closest friends and family. We’re all so truly blessed to have known Ray. I’ll think of him often and continue to spread joy the same way he did.  Fly to paradise Mr. Ray, sometimes being the best means having to leave first too.


Ray was a good friend, a fellow musician and an inspiration to me back in the 1970s Jesus Movement. While he was studying music in college, Ray, Mark, Jimmy and I wrote a song together. Ray called out chord sequences:  one, four, one, four, five, etc. while the rest of us figured it out on our guitars. Wish I could remember that song, all I can remember now is that is was very nice and it came from Ray. Who was a drummer! And what a drummer. He was perhaps the most musical percussionist I’ve ever known. Always thought we’d see each other again, maybe play some of the old songs. Guess that’ll have to be in another life now. Condolences to Ray’s family. John 14:1-6. 

I went to school with Ray for many years and was in the school band.  Everyone loved him and loved listening to him playing the drums..was truly amazing at such a relatively young age.  Condolences to the family.  May the memories provide you comfort. 

OBITUARY

Ray Hale

November 14, 1953 – June 4, 2020

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