Dr. John Richard

Ray

Dr. John Richard Ray was called home on Saturday, November 7, 2026. John was born on July 15, 1938, to Charles Martin Ray and Nancy Belle Taylor Ray in Hamilton County, Chattanooga, TN.

Dr. John R. Ray is a retired professor from the University of Tennessee who specialized in education. He is a Veteran of the U.S. Army. Alongside his late devoted wife, Nancy Sullivan Ray, they established the John R. Ray and Nancy Sullivan Ray Scholarship in 1997 Teachers for Tomorrow Initiative in 2017 to support aspiring educators at Raford University along with the John R. Ray and Nancy S. Ray Scholarship Endowment at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his devoted wife, Nancy Ellen Sullivan Ray. John is survived by nieces, nephews, special cousins and neighborhood and friend “grandchildren”.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, from 11:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M. at Frost Funeral Home in Abingdon, Virginia with a service to follow at 1:00 P.M. Interment will follow going in procession to Knollkreg Memorial Park in Abingdon, Virginia.

Pallbearers will be Eric Harvey, Marty Stooksbury, Bradey Stooksbury, Wayne Stout, Charles Roberts, and Raymond Boswell.

Honorary pallbearers will be Matthew Holtzman, Graham Boswell, Even Boswell, Hugh Bosswell, Lewis G. Woolwine, Richard Ball, Richard Jerkins, Nicholas Sterwart, and Alex Stewart.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to one of the following scholarships in honor of Dr. Ray:

John R. Ray and Nancy Sullivan Ray Scholarship – Radford University. Donations may be made online at www.radford.edu/give or by mailing a check payable to Radford University Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 6893, Radford, Virginia 24142. Please indicate the scholarship name in the memo line.

John R. and Nancy S. Ray Scholarship Endowment – University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Donations may be mailed to CEHHS – Advancement Office, 1122 Volunteer Blvd., Knoxville, Tennessee 37996. Checks should be made payable to UTFI or UT Foundation, Inc., with “John/Nancy Ray Scholarship” noted in the memo line.

Frost Funeral Home and Crematory is honored to serve the family of Dr. John Richard Ray.