Larry D. Ray went home to be with Jesus January 27, 2026, from Ft. Collins, Colorado after a brief illness.

Larry was born October 23, 1943 in Erick, Oklahoma, the second child of four, and the only son of Carl Morris and Jewel Isabell (Coffey) Ray. They lived on the family farm until he was 14.

He was a loving, caring man who loved his wife, his family and his country passionately; he loved The Lord Jesus with all his heart and served Him for nearly 50 years. He was a faithful member of Rawlins Family Church.

From a very young age he longed to go yondering (as Louis L’Amour put it) so when he turned 17 he dropped out of high school, talking his Dad into signing for him to join the Navy, and off he went to San Diego. He served from 1960-1964 on two destroyers, the USS Floyd B. Parks DD-884 and the USS Halsey-Powell DD-686. As a ship-fitter he learned many valuable skills including welding, which was his career for 14 years following his Honorable discharge from the Navy. Primarily working in fabrication, he worked part of those years in the shipyards in Bremerton, Washington. He relocated to Texas where his brother-in-law, Richard, helped him get his start in truck driving. Larry drove locally and over-the-road, hauling everything from produce to orange juice, dry freight to crude oil for 23 years, and also spent seven years as a school bus driver. Many of his “bus kids” still remember him fondly.

Truck driving brought him to Rawlins, Wyoming, where he met the love of his life at Church. He and Melodi married October 12, 1990 and celebrated 35 years together. They continued Larry’s wanderlust with a 5th-wheel camper traveling mostly the western half of the country, but also traveled to Washington DC and Maine with Parks Association ship reunions. He thoroughly enjoyed the time together and the travel. He also embraced the outdoor lifestyle that Wyoming offered, enjoying hunting and shooting sports. His other hobbies included carpentry, reading, mostly Louis L’Amour and science fiction; and Star Trek.

Larry didn’t know a stranger. He was friendly and outgoing, making friends everywhere he went; he spread the love of Jesus, frequently inviting folks to church or home Bible studies. He had a wonderful sense of humor, loving to swap jokes with his friends and grandsons, thoroughly enjoying a good pun.

Larry is survived by his beloved wife of 35 years, Melodi (Helton) Ray, his daughter, Sheila Ray Ivy of Tacoma, Washington, his granddaughter, Mandy Ivy of Dallas, Texas; sisters Carla Linn, Wichita Falls, Texas; Sharon Owens (Richard) Amarillo, Texas; Freda Gleaves (Wayne), Hobbs, New Mexico. He is also survived by his special Wyoming grandchildren Morgan Pearce, Samuel Pearce, Josiah Pearce, Hannah Pearce and Ruth Pearce; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews, his sister and brother-in-law Lyric (Helton) and Dave Eads and his Church family.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother-in-law, Wylie Linn.