Dr. Barbara Burden Ray

BARBARA RAY- Dr. Barbara Burden Ray, age 88, of Starkville, Mississippi, passed away April 12, 2023, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Columbus, Mississippi. Funeral services will be Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at 11:00 AM at The Assembly of Columbus with Reverends Jody Gurley, Ethan Boggs and Bob Wilburn officiating. Visitation will be from 9:30 AM until the time of the service. A graveside committal will be Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 11:00 AM at the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Dawson, Georgia. Memorial Gunter Peel Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge of the arrangements.

Dr. Ray was born April 28, 1934, in Thomaston, Georgia, to the late Lloyd and Agnes Ellis Burden. She attended Brown High School in Atlanta, Georgia, graduated from Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi, and received her master’s and Ph.D from Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi. She was ordained as an Assemblies of God minister in 1966. On July 14, 1951, she married the love of her life, Jesse Ray, and they were true sweethearts for the following 71 years. Together, they had three children, on whom they doted and loved, while dedicating their lives to the ministry by serving churches all across the United States. Rare was the occasion when “Darling and Doll” were not together; where you saw one, the other was sure to be alongside smiling.
While working on her master’s and doctorate degrees, she taught at both Mississippi University for Women and Mississippi State University. After completing her degrees, she taught at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, eventually becoming Chairperson of the Social Sciences Department.

She and Jesse moved back to Mississippi to be closer to their young grandchildren, and upon doing so she taught at East Mississippi Community College and later began working as a marriage and family counselor for Meek Counseling Services. Helping clients navigate tough issues and through traumatic times was her passion, evidenced by the fact she was calling and texting clients from the hospital. However, she did not let anything interfere with her attending every sporting event, dance recital or any other event involving her grandchildren. She loved to say
“Namama and Pep/Pop never missed a grandparent’s day” at school for any of her grandchildren, no matter how far they had to travel or what they had to reschedule to be there. Barbara was passionate about every aspect of her life and was dedicated to serving those with whom she dealt in a manner that emanated from her relationship with her Lord and Savior, to whom she gave her life at the age of twelve.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Tawana Ray, and brother, Henry Burden.

Survivors include her husband of 71 years, Rev. Jesse Ray of Starkville, Mississippi, daughter, Reneé Cotton and her husband Bill of Lakeland, Florida, son, Rod Ray and his wife Julia of Columbus, Mississippi, sister, Helen Singer of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and grandchildren, Mandy
Cotton Brandt (Kevin), Brady Cotton (Amy), Evelyn Ray, Jones Ray and Parker Ray, great-grandchildren Olivia Brandt, Asher Brandt, Camryn Cotton and Aubrey Cotton.
Pallbearers will be Jones Ray, Parker Ray, Randy Burden, Greg Burden, Maurice Johnson, Paul Adams, Scott Jones and Douglas Ford.Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee, 38105 or Teen Challenge of Mississippi, 5 Buford Lane, Poplarville, Mississippi 39470.