Ray Cloninger

1936 - 2021

Ray Cloninger
July 16, 1936 - February 23, 2021
Denver, North Carolina - Ray Eugene Cloninger, age 84, of Denver, NC, passed away on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 in his home surrounded by family.
Ray was born July 16, 1936, in Lincoln County, to the late Carl and Edna Lynch Cloninger. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by two daughters, Ginger Cloninger and Cindy Cloninger; two brothers, Frank Cloninger and Tony Cloninger; and one sister, Marie Goodman. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Ann Hager Cloninger of the home; son, Kent Cloninger and wife Liz, of Davidson, NC; daughter, Karla Cloninger of Huntersville, NC; and two granddaughters, Reagan and Reese Cloninger.
Ray retired from Duke Energy after 40 years of service. Ray was a County Commissioner in Lincoln County and a founding member of the Denver Lake Norman Rotary Club. He was also an inductee into the Lincoln County Sports Hall of Fame and a lifetime member of the East Lincoln Optimist Club. Ray also served in the National Guard.
In addition to a long career with Duke Energy, Ray had a love of horses and as a result, successfully managed horse shows for over 40+ years. Ray had a reputation for putting on award winning horse shows throughout the southeast. Ray received many awards throughout his horse show management career, including the UPHA Horse Show Manager of the Year Award and was inducted into the UPHA Chapter 12 Hall of Fame.
Ray had a heart of gold – he loved sports, family, and banana pudding.
A graveside service will be held at 2:00 pm on Thursday, February 25, 2021, in the Denver United Methodist Church Cemetery with Rev. Steve Autrey officiating. A Celebration of Life service will follow in the sanctuary of Denver United Methodist Church. Face masks and social distancing are required. The body will lie in state from 1:00 until 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday at Warlick Funeral Home. The family will not be present during this time.
Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association – Western Carolina Chapter, 4600 Park Road, Suite 250, Charlotte, NC, 28209, or to Denver United Methodist Church, Helping Hands Fund, PO Box 661, Denver, NC 28037.
Warlick Funeral Home is serving the Cloninger Family.