Ray Boone

Ray Boone was a good man. Born in the small mining town of Mayberry, WV on February 26, 1918, Ray, whose given name, one that he later dropped, was Vivian, was one of nine children born to Bessie and Guy Boone. His father was a mining camp blacksmith and labor union leader. Ray and his family moved where their father’s work took them, to mining camps all across Eastern KY and Southwestern WV. He met his future wife, Betty, in Williamson, WV some short time before he and a friend decided to join the Navy, which he did in 1937. He would return to marry her before the war began, and during the war Betty traveled across the country with him wherever his assignments called. On the morning of December 7, 1941 Ray, a Navy boilerman, was asleep aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Blue where it lay in dock as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor began. The Blue, with Ray manning one of the guns, managed to get underway and escaped the Harbor without major damage. Ray served aboard the Blue until August 1942 when it was struck by a Japanese torpedo in Ironbottom Bay, Guadalcanal and had to be scuttled. Later in the War, he served in the Atlantic aboard the U.S.S. McCook. He was honorably discharged from the Navy as a Chief Petty Officer in 1945. In the aftermath of the War he was offered a job in Florida with the Civilian Corps of Engineers. Ray declined this opportunity in order to return home (Williamson, WV) with his wife to spend the holidays his parents whom he had not seen in nearly 8 years. Having worked in grocery stores prior to the service, Ray gravitated toward the grocery industry and eventually became a Jewel Tea salesman. In the early 1950’s he and Betty moved first to Point Pleasant, WV and later to Gallipolis, OH where, by this time, Ray was employed by the Maxwell House Division of General Foods as a coffee salesman. He remained with General Foods for some 30 years. Ray and Betty lived in Gallipolis for the duration of their lives together. Their first child, Richard, was born in 1954 followed by another son, Gregory, in 1958 and lastly a daughter, Barbara, born in 1959. In the mid-50s, Ray and Betty moved to 114 Mabelene Drive, once known as Maxatawney Addition, where they raised their family and where Ray lived for 60 years. The Boones were long-time members of Grace United Methodist Church where Ray was baptized. One of the chief pleasures of his later years was the Church’s Wednesday morning Men’s Bible Study where he especially enjoyed singing, an activity dating back to his youth when he and friends would sing on the sidewalks of the mining camps while church was in service. Ray retired in 1983. His service to General Foods and Maxwell House was widely acclaimed; as in all things he brought pride and dedication to his job. His diligence and the sustained excellence of his work was the proximate cause of the fact that his children were able to go to college and professional schools, the first members of the Boone family ever to have had such opportunities. Following retirement, Ray and Betty routinely traveled to reunions of the U.S.S. Blue and elsewhere. His younger brother, Ralph, also a former Navy Chief and Ralph’s wife, Jackie were their frequent companions. He became deeply involved in the organizational work for his ship’s reunions until such time as the survivors were too few or too feeble to warrant their continuation. In 1991 Betty was felled by a serious stroke which left her permanently disabled for the final eight years of her life. Ray’s devotion to Betty during these difficult times was the very definition of love. It is not too much to say that caring for her and making certain she received the best care possible became the central motivating force of his life. He had seen his mother suffer from prolonged physical debilitation, and he did everything possible to assure his beloved wife that her distress would be minimized. No one could have done more than he did for her until her death in August 1999. Ray continued to live in the home in which he and Betty had raised their family until just weeks before his death. He was the grandfather of six boys and two girls: Brian and Sean (sons of Greg), Chris and Erik (sons of Barb) and Ryan, Tyler, Olivia, and Scout (sons and daughters of Rick). He loved and was loved by them all. He lived to see and enjoy greatgrandchildren as well. They all survive him. Ray is also survived by a brother Ralph (Jackie) Boone and by two sisters, Bonnie (Willis) Ball and Shirley (Walter) Worley. He lived a life of humility, gratitude, kindness, and with a quiet, gentle benevolence that reflected a thoughtful, if somewhat shy, mind. He was a good and loving son, brother, husband, father, and friend. He was a dedicated employee of a company for which he worked much of his adult life. He was a decorated WWII veteran and at his death surely must have been among only a handful of survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor, one of a handful of dates in our nation’s history never to be forgotten. In this regard he lived to become living history. A friend to many, the foe to none, a decent person to all. He lived 97 years, 7 months, and 22 days. Nearly all of them were spent in harmony with his neighbors, his family, and the world. He found a place on earth in which to live, and he lived there as long as he could, and he lived there well. Even to the last love for his family was on his mind. After one of his sons expressed his admiration and affection, Ray replied simply, “Thank you.” After I brief pause, he continued, “I love my children.” And his final words, spoken to his daughter as she held his hand, were, “I’m going home to Mom.” No one could have been more deserving of that devoutly to be wished for destination. Funeral services for Ray will be 1 pm Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at Willis Funeral Home with Bob Powell officiating. His burial will follow in Mound Hill Cemetery. Friends may call at Willis Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 from 6-8 pm. There will be military graveside rites conducted by the Gallia County Funeral Detail. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Ray’s name to your favorite charity and or to www.livestrong.org