Arthur Ray Obituary
Arthur Ray Jr. was born July 22, 1941 in Gulfport, MS to Arthur Ray Sr. and Lillian (Jackson) Ray. He joined Little Rock Baptist Church at an early age under the pastorship of Reverend Famous McElhaney. Arthur married Bessie Mae Cox in Gulfport April 24, 1971. He was known to his friends and family as "Monk" or "Boody Ray." He worked at the Broadwater Beach Hotel in Biloxi, MS briefly, and then retired from the International Longshoreman Association (ILA) after forty-two years of dedicated service.
Arthur graduated from Thirty-third Avenue High in 1961. During his high school years and beyond, Arthur displayed outstanding athletic talent in football, track, baseball, and flag football. Additionally, he coached the men's ILA softball team with his wife serving as the scorekeeper. He has assisted many Longshoremen in finding pier jobs. Arthur enjoyed working on his lawn while chatting with passers-bys. He took pleasure in fishing and provided instruction to young individuals in the practice of angling. He even kept an air pump and tire patches around to assist the kids with their flat tires. He was a great cook, famous for his barbeque chicken and ribs. He loved to eat and he loved to feed you. He consistently demonstrated generosity. While his wife worked in the Little Rock Baptist Church kitchen, she taught him to bake lemon-glazed pound cakes so he could assist her. After a few lessons, he baked cakes solo for funerals and requests until illness halted him. Arthur Ray Jr. passed away Tuesday, January 6, 2026, in Gulfport, MS at the age of 84.
Arthur was preceded in death by daughter, Dedri Y. Phillips, his father, Arthur Ray Sr., his mother, Lillian Ray, brother, David Ray, sister, Betty Sutton, two uncles, Paul Ray and James Murdock Ray, and aunt, Julia "Midge" Locker.
Arthur leaves to cherish his memory, his loving wife: Bessie M. Ray of Gulfport, MS; his sons: Emanual Love and Arthur (Debra) Ray III both of Gulfport; his daughters: Anita Hawthorne of Stafford, VA, Ramona (Anrea) Harris of Gulfport and Torcia Bunton of Austin, TX; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, classmates and neighbors.
The family of Arthur Ray Jr. sincerely thank you for your sympathy, support, and kindness during our time of loss. A special thank you to the Little Rock Baptist Church congregation and all auxiliary groups. May God bless each of you and continue to shower you with abundant blessings.
The Arthur Ray Jr Family
He Only Takes the Best
God saw that he was getting tired,
A cure was not to be.
So God put his arms around him and whispered, "Come with Me."
With tearful eyes, we watched him suffer,
And saw him fade away,
Although we loved him dearly,
We could not make him stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Hard working hands to rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes "THE BEST".
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1 Entry
Larry Jones
January 17, 2026
I met him when I first worked on the pier, one evening in 1965. I was only ninth grade and my dad asked if I wanted to earn some money working for a few hours after dinner. I will always remember his physical strength, kindness and encouraging nature. Later, I went to college and would work there each summer until I graduated and later each time I would return home (on leave) while I served in the military. After retirement from the military I would frequently see him and we would joke about my "early days" working on the pier. Much later, I would visit him in Driftwood, although he had difficulty talking and being understood what was still very clear was that he remained a wonderful human being and I will miss, but always reflect on his kindness.
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