Donald Eugene Ray, age 89, died peacefully on June 2, 2025, after a lengthy battle with cancer.  

Don is predeceased by his parents, Reuben and Evelyn Ray, and his brother and sister-in-law, Gene and Millie Ray.  

He is survived by his beloved wife of 48 years, Carolyn Stanley Bowman Ray.  Don is also survived by his sons, Steve (Sandy) Bowman, and Jeff (Amy) Bowman; grandson, Brandon Bowman, granddaughter, Kristin (Ben) Colwell and great grandson Archer Colwell; his brothers James (Barbara) Ray and Jerry (Suzette) Ray; his step- grandchildren and great grandchildren, Andrew (Leslie) Presley and Jordan, Jackson, Jacob and Judah; as well as a host of nieces and nephews.

Don grew up in Wauzeka, Wisconsin, and after completing Law School at the University of Wisconsin, he entered the Army as a Recruit E1 and then accepted a Commission with the U. S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps.  He served 4 years as a Captain in the 5th Army HQ in Chicago, IL, and as an Attorney for the Department of the Army in Chicago, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Atlanta, GA; and Molene, IL; and for the Department of Energy at Oak Ridge, TN and Portsmouth, OH.  He later served as an Attorney with Lockheed Martin in Ohio and Oak Ridge, TN, before retiring to Norris Lake in TN.

Don’s passions were airplanes and flying.  In Ohio, he regularly performed aerobatic routines in several county airshows in his Pitts Special.  After retirement, he continued to fly and lived out his dream of building an airplane, a very beautiful and fast Glasair III.  For more than 40 years, he and Carolyn attended the annual EAA Airshow and Convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Don volunteered for several charities including Lions Club, Foster Care Review Board, Domestic Violence Shelter Board, and America’s Promise mentoring program. Don was a man of strong Christian faith, a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Knoxville, where he served as an Usher and met weekly there for over 20 years with his Via de Cristo Reunion group.

The family has entrusted the care of Donald Eugene Ray to Martin Wilson Funeral Home “Where Families Matter Most.”

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