Ray McCarty

Funeral: 11:00 a.m. Monday, August 25, 2025 at Low Gap United Baptist Church, Oil Springs, Kentucky
Visitation: 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Sunday, August 24, 2025 at Jones-Preston Funeral Home
Burial: Hansford-Blanton Cemetery, Win Road, Oil Springs, Kentucky

Granville Ray McCarty, 85, of Oil Springs, Kentucky, passed away on Aug. 23, 2025, at Mountain Manor of Paintsville after a lengthy illness.

Ray was born on April 25, 1940, in Oil Springs, Johnson County, Kentucky, to the late Espa and Oma Reed McCarty. On August 6, 1960, he married Edith Carol McCarty, who preceded him in death in 2021 after nearly 61 years of marriage.

In addition to his wife and parents, he was also preceded in death by his son, Timothy Ray; his sister, Ollie Francis; his brother, Robert, and a host of in-laws: Faye McCarty, Don Laferty, Jimmie and Genevieve McCarty, Mabel and Kanawaha Long, Pam Curtis, and Eloise Curtis.

He was a faithful member of Low Gap United Baptist Church from January 26, 1964, until his death. He served as church clerk from January 1974 through March 1990, assistant moderator from April 25, 2015, until April 24, 2021, and moderator from April 2021 until his health declined in April 2022, making it difficult for him to attend church regularly.

He also worked as a carpenter and proudly joined the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners on December 20, 1960, a membership he faithfully maintained until his death. He was known for his work building roads and bridges in Columbus, Ohio, and Fairfax, Virginia, as well as houses in Eastern Kentucky. He owned and operated Ray McCarty Builders in Oil Springs from 1975 until 1989.

He is survived by his children and their spouses, Patti and Brian Clark of Frankfort, Randy and Karla McCarty of Dandridge, Tennessee, and Emma and John Fairchild of Staffordsville, Kentucky.

Known as Papa Ray, he was a beloved grandfather to Samantha and Johnathan Whelan of Elizabethtown; Emily and Nathan Rasmussen of Louisville; Jerry Austin McCarty of Charlotte, North Carolina, and John Brandon Fairchild of Shepherdsville, Kentucky. He was also the proud great-grandfather of Isabelle, Elliott, and Cooper Whelan, all of Elizabethtown.

He is also survived by his sister, Etta Mae Laferty, his brother, Frederick, sister-in-law Stella McCarty, and brother-in-law Walter Curtis Jr., as well as a host of nieces and nephews, friends, and family.

Funeral services will be conducted 11:00 a.m. Monday, August 25, 2025 in the Low Gap United Baptist Church with burial to follow at Hansford-Blanton Cemetery, Win Road, Oil Springs, Kentucky. Friends may visit the Jones-Preston Funeral Home Sunday, August 24, 2025 from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Ray's family and friends will remember him for his faith, craftsmanship, and deep love for his family. As a Hebrew proverb reminds us, "Say not in grief, he is no more, but in thankfulness that he was." His life was a blessing, and his memory will be cherished always.

Jones-Preston Funeral Home is both honored and privileged to be entrusted with all funeral arrangements for Mr. Granville Ray McCarty.

To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Ray McCarty, please click here to visit our sympathy store.

Memorial Donation