William Deelane Bray, Jr. of Saucier, Mississippi

August 29, 1948 - January 5, 2022

William Deelane Bray Jr., 73, resident of Saucier, MS passed away at home, January, 5th, 2022. He was born August 29, 1948, in Columbus, MS to William Deelane Bray Sr. & Laura Alice (Smith) Bray.

He is preceded in death by his parents, William Deelane & Laura Alice Bray along with his first wife, Donna Lucille Bray. He is survived by his wife Wilma Cardona Bray, brothers: Rev. Curtis (Pam) Bray, Garry (Pam) Bray and Mickey (Carol) Bray, children: Joe Travis Griffin Jr., Michael (Jill) Bray, Clinton (Allison) Bray, Tamika (David) Curry, Louis (Pushpa) Hernandez, Chamila (Brian) Brown, Stacy Stewart, Wendy Stewart, Sarah (Jason) Albritton, Leah (Christopher) Riordan, Matthew (Leona) Blain; He was also a doting grandfather to all of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren: too numerous to name individually but each uniquely loved.

William grew up in Columbus, MS. He attended MSU and was a huge Bulldogs fan. He worked as a biomedical electronics technician at Baptist Memorial Hospital for over 20 years and retired from North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, MS.

William was the ultimate example of Christ-like love. He and his first wife fostered more than 120 children. He volunteered for over 30 years at Memphis Crisis Center helping as many as he could with his gentle and compassionate wisdom. He also volunteered as a first responder and firefighter. He would donate his time playing Santa and notably during the COVID pandemic, he dressed up as Santa and drove through the local community so children would still have an opportunity for holiday cheer.  That was the man he was: selfless and kind, a devout Christian, loving husband, devoted father, cherished grandfather, and real-life angel to all who knew him.  William was an avid motorcyclist and enjoyed attending and volunteering at the yearly BMW MOA National Rally.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like to honor William's wishes and have donations made to Memphis Crisis Center www.memphiscrisiscenter.org. The Bray family has requested a private graveside service.