Larry Gene Ray of Ripon passed away in his sleep at home on July 28, 2016.  Larry was born in Kansas City, MO, to Wilson and Juanita McKee Ray.  When he was five years old his family moved to Southern California.  After his parents divorce he would spend the school year in Norwalk with his mother and his summers in Manteca and later Ripon with his father. His junior year he stayed in Ripon to play football.  He also played on the basketball and baseball teams and ran track.  During this time he served in the Naval reserve and developed many lifelong friendships.  This is also where he met his future wife Patricia St. John.  They were married three months after graduation.
   Larry spent the next two years in the Army guarding the east-west border in Germany. On returning home he attended MJC and Sacramento State University. In the 1960's he moved his family to Norwalk where he worked for North American Aviation. While there he also enjoyed coaching Pop Warner football. He was offered the opportunity to buy the St. John family ranch on No. Ripon Rd. in 1967 so the family moved back to Ripon and he spent subsequent years working full time for San Joaquin County as a Weights and Measures Inspector and eventually became the Deputy Sealer of Weights and Measures and also worked part time raising walnuts.  After retirement in 1993 he fulfilled his dream of traveling.  Taking Pat back to Germany to share his memories.  They then spent the next years traveling through the United States, to Hawaii, Alaska, Canada and a second trip to Europe. 
    He was a 62 year member of Ripon Grange where he was a past president and also belonged to St. Mary's Anglican Church in Manteca.  He rarely missed any sports games his children and grandchildren were involved in until recently. 
    He goes to join his parents and brothers Miles and David Edgar.
   He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Patricia, children Michael Ray of Ripon, Wendy Richards and her husband Jeff of Hewitt, Texas, Matthew Ray and his wife Yvonna of Oakdale and Casey Ray of Ripon, 11 grandchildren and eight 2/3 great-grandchildren. He passed along his beliefs of Faith, Family and Country to his children and he took great joy in his Irish heritage. 
    There will be a memorial service Sunday, August 7th at 10 a.m. at St. Mary's Anglican Church, at the corner of Cottage and Louise Avenue, in Manteca.

Ripon
Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Wednesday, August 3, 2016