Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
A history of many families.
1937 - 2015 (78 years)| Name | Virginia Kathryn KISER [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] | |
| Birth | 19 Jan 1937 | Melbourne, Florida  |
| Gender | Female | |
| HIST | of Sumter, South Carolina VIRGINIA K. RAY Posted Friday, November 20, 2015 6:00 am Virginia Kiser Ray, 78, widow of Forrest Arthur Ray, educator, homemaker and community leader, died Monday, Nov. 16, 2015, in Charleston, surrounded by her family. She was born on Jan. 19, 1937, in Melbourne, Florida, to the late Carey Howell and Louise Galt Kiser. She was raised in Cocoa, Florida. She held a bachelor's degree from Florida State University and a master's degree from the University of South Carolina. She did additional graduate work at The Citadel and the University of Colorado. She was a member of and past moderator of THE FORUM; a member and past president of the YMCA; a board member and former treasurer of the Sumter Community Concert Association; a former trustee of the Sumter County Library; a Sumter Chamber of Commerce board member; a past president of the Tri-State Community Education Association; a member of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators; a lifetime member of the National PTA; a past state president of the PEO Sisterhood; a member of Delta Kappa Gamma; and held membership in various community organizations. She served as church organist for 38 years, 27 of which were at the Shaw Air Force Base Chapel; she worked in tandem with her late husband who was the music director. Her education career spanned 39 years. It began with her teaching business courses in Cocoa and Colorado Springs, Colorado. She embarked on a career in elementary education when her husband was transferred to Shaw AFB. After 11 years as a 4th grade teacher, she entered school administration. She served as a principal of Cherryvale Elementary School, Shaw Heights Elementary School, and High Hills Middle School. She then served on the School District 2 staff for two years and later became the first director of the countywide adult education program. While at Shaw Heights, the school earned the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Education; at High Hills, the school received the national PTA Award for the most outstanding middle school; and the adult education program was named an exemplary program by the National Community Education Association and was invited to showcase the program at Oxford University in England. These national awards, as well as her community service led, to Mrs. Ray's receiving the Order of the Palmetto in 2000. Although she was proud of the national awards garnered under her leadership, Virginia considered her greatest life achievement to be that of wife, mother, and grandmother. She often quoted George Bernard Shaw who said, "I want to be thoroughly used up when I die" and tried to live her life accordingly. She is preceded in death by two daughters, Roxanna Ray Parrish and Rose Ray Kercheval. She is survived by five children, Robert Dee Ray of Savannah, Georgia, Rebecca Ray Turner of Great Falls, Montana, Wayne David "Sting" Ray and his wife, Teresa, of Waxhaw, North Carolina, Laura Ray Blanchard and her husband, Richard, of Summerville and Lt. Col. William Forrest Ray and his wife, Susan, of Montgomery, Alabama; 15 grandchildren, Benjamin Lucas Parrish, Elizabeth Parrish Hollman, Geoffrey Aaron Parrish, Heather Brant Hunter, Melodee Daniella Brant, James Forrest Adams, Kristine Adams, Justin Carey Ray, Joshua David Ray, Kathryn Blanchard Holley, Richard Stockton Blanchard III, Laura Grace Blanchard, Mary Elizabeth Kiser Ray, William Forrest Ray Jr. and Matthew Minor Ray; seven great-grandchildren, Ryan Davis Parrish, Dakota Samuel Best, Joseph Ray Parrish, Shannon Thomas Parrish, Michael Joseph Hollman Jr., Henry Bowen Hollman, Daniel Jameson Hollman, Alec Branton Barger, Allison Grace Hunter, Pate Aaron Parrish, Samuel Alexander Painter, Emma Kathleen Adams, Braylon Carey Ray, Brody Michael Ray and Caleb Dean Horner Parrish; two sisters, Carolyn Kiser Stallings of Keystone Heights, Florida, and Peggy Kiser Postlethwaite of Briarcliff Manor, New York. Her family will celebrate her life with services at Shaw Air Force Base Palmetto Chapel at 2 p.m. on Saturday followed by a reception at the church. Interment will be at a later date at the United States Air Force Academy Columbarium, Colorado. For those who are attending that do not have Shaw AFB credentials, please contact the Shaw AFB Visitor Control Center at (803) 895-9086 with your full name and date of birth or email the information to 20sfs.backgroundchec@us.af.mil no later than 4:30 p.m. today. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to the PEO Program for Continuing Education or to the Sumter County Library, 111 N. Harvin St., Sumter, SC 29150. You may go to www.bullockfuneralhome.com and sign the family's guest book. The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home for the arrangements. [2, 7] | |
| _UID | BAC3515B086244EDB955BDD7ABE1BFF7A82D | |
| Death | 16 Nov 2015 | Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina |
| Burial | 21 Nov 2015 | celebration of her life, with interment at a later date at the United States Air Force Academy Columbarium, Colorado [7] |
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| Person ID | I181572 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 22 Nov 2015 | |
| Father | Carey Howell KISER d. Bef 16 Nov 2015 | |
| Mother | Louise GALT d. Bef 16 Nov 2015 | |
| _UID | B85D96E64D8D40DA8AF45DE83BE9418B3810 | |
| _UID | B85D96E64D8D40DA8AF45DE83BE9418B3810 | |
| Family ID | F204544 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family | Forrest Arthur RAY, b. 28 Jan 1930, Huntington, West Virginia d. 9 Feb 2007, Tuomey Regional Medical Center, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina (Age 77 years) | |||||||||||||
| Marriage | Abt 1965 [3] | |||||||||||||
| _UID | E00C83BF260B47AAA5968C8DF65D8557D32D | |||||||||||||
| _UID | E00C83BF260B47AAA5968C8DF65D8557D32D | |||||||||||||
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| Family ID | F123401 | Group Sheet | Family Chart | ||||||||||||
| Last Modified | 26 Sep 2021 | |||||||||||||
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