Ray Travis Fakes

Ray Travis Fakes

Lebanon, TN

Ray Travis Fakes, age 77, died peacefully at his home in Lebanon Tuesday, August 26, of heart failure and complications of Parkinson's disease.

A native of Wilson County and son of the late Otis C. and Pauline Fakes, Ray was a graduate of Lebanon High School and the College of Business at Lipscomb University with additional MBA work at MTSU. He retired as Director of Purchasing at Wynn's Precision Rubber (late Parker Seals), where he worked for 44 years. He served as a Lieutenant in the Tennessee Air National Guard for eight years, and was President and a National Director of the Nashville Association of Purchasing Agents in the 1960s.

He invested in several businesses and rental property and developed the coating process for Precision O-rings that are still used to this day. He was a life-long beef cattle and hay farmer in Wilson County raising polled Herefords. A generous and industrious man, Fakes was known for his effectiveness in scheduling, logistics, cost management, on-time supply, materials management, and efficiency. He constantly looked for ways to make things better in his personal and professional life, and liberally shared with those in need. He loved his family and friends, agriculture, animals, Civil War history, the Boy Scouts of America, and country music. Praised by a former owner of Wynn's as "The most knowledgeable and effective Purchasing Manager in the United States rubber industy," Fakes retired in 2003 and was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2004

Ray and his wife, Bonnie DeHoff Fakes, retired English from Lebanon High School, were married for 43 years and raised five children: Travis, 36, of Lebanon; Laura (Gary) Edwards, 34, of Jonesborough, TN; Paul, 32, of Washington, D.C.; Matthew, 30, of Spring Hill, TN; and Bonnie Beth (Lucas) Holman, 27, of Readyville, TN, all of whom survive. The have one grandchild, Hoover Edwards, 2.

He was a lifelong member of the Maple Hill Church of Christ, where his Memorial service will be held Tuesday, September 2, at 3 p.m. with visitation with the family from 1-3 p.m. Brother Tim Parrish will officiate.

True to his habit of giving in life, Ray donated his body for medical research and the advancement of Parkinson's remedies.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Freed-Hardeman University's George DeHoff Memorial Scholarship Fund in memory of Ray Fakes; to the American Heart Association; or the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF).