Eddie Eugene Ray

Eddie E. Ray, age 78, of Naples, Florida, passed away just after sunset on November 12. He was surrounded by family.

Ed was born in Johnson City, Tennessee, to Frances and Paul Ray. From a young age and throughout his life, he continually demonstrated an unyielding ambition. As a child he joined Scouting America and earned one of the highest honors as an Eagle Scout.

During his years at East Tennessee State University, he was named Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, served as Vice President of his senior graduating class, and was the Social Chairman of his Kappa Alpha fraternity.

He met his future wife, Kathy, shortly after graduating and was married in January 1970. As newlyweds, the couple drove to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to report for Ed's military duty. He was later assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he proudly served as First Lieutenant in the 82d Airborne.

In a letter to his wife Kathy, commanding officer Major General George Blanchard wrote, "We of the 82d Airborne consider Eddie one of our finest young officers and have selected him as an Outstanding Junior Officer. Since being assigned to the Division, Lieutenant Ray has proven himself to be an outstanding young officer whose leadership ability and military enthusiasm have brought credit to himself and his unit."

After his military career, Ed was hired by Eastman Chemical, which brought him to Minneapolis. That's where his charm and ability to get along with everyone catapulted his career in sales. He went on to work for Viking Chemical and later Tru-Stone Technologies, fostering long-lasting relationships along the way.

In 1989, he and his family moved to Naples, Florida, where Ed intended to retire. However, his close friends felt he had too much talent to sit on the beach, and he was asked to spearhead the international division for their gas fireplace company called Heat-N-Glo. In this position, he traveled the world for many years. Later, when he did finally retire, he would often get calls from friends in Australia, China, and Canada – all from former customers just wanting to check in with him.

Ed was a dedicated family man. He and his wife Kathy were married for 55 years and had two children, Justin and Heather. As a father, he was involved in every practice, game, concert, carpool, and after-school activity.

In his downtime, he enjoyed playing golf, sitting on the Naples Pier, and meeting his sister Genell and brother-in-law Bob for breakfast.

Ed is survived by his wife, Kathy Ray of Naples, Florida, daughter Heather Ray (Ken Keffer) of Bloomington, Indiana, and sister Genell Marshall (Bob Marshall) of Venice, Florida. He was preceded in death by his son Justin Ray and his parents Frances and Paul Ray.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held December 9, 2025, at 10:00 AM at St. Williams Catholic Church in Naples. Following the mass, Military Honors will be accorded at Naples Memorial Gardens.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Matthew's House (stmatthewshouse.org) or Catholic Charities (crs.org).