Russell Hayward Ray

Russ moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee, at an early age. He attended Memphis public schools, graduating from Treadwell High School in 1956. Russ attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, graduating in 1960.

Commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the US Army in 1960, Russ was a Vietnam War veteran. He served in England, Ethiopia, and Turkey as well as Vietnam. He also served in the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Army Security Agency. Russ retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1982.

Russ earned an MBA from American University in 1974. After retiring from the Army, Russ was a financial manager for the Navy Exchange Command in New York and the Defense Commissary Agency in Orange County, California.

Russ was preceded in death by his sister, Bobbie Cannon, and his parents. He is survived by two nieces, Hannah Stafford of Conway, Arkansas, and Lori Cannon of Memphis.

A graveside service for Russell will be held Monday, May 8, 2023 from 2:00 PM at Memphis Memory Gardens, 6444 Raleigh Lagrange Road, Memphis, TN 38134.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.FamilyFuneralMemphis.com for the Ray family.