Ray Presley

Funeral services for Mr. Cecil Ray Presley, 91, of Baxter, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 18, at the Baxter Chapel of Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home with Bro. John Pippin officiating. Interment with military honors will follow at Crest Lawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 5 – 8 p.m. and again Thursday from 10 a.m. until service time at the funeral home. Ray died Monday evening, June 15, 2015 at Heritage Pointe Senior Living in Cookeville. He was born October 29, 1923 in Putnam County to the late Robert Denton and Jeanie Gentry Presley. As a young man, Ray was proud to be a part of the Civilian Conservation Corp. A US Army Veteran of World War II, he served in General Patton's Army, marching through France and Germany. At the end of WWII, he continued to serve with the occupying forces in Germany for another year. After fulfilling his military service, he returned to Baxter and taught carpentry at Baxter Seminary. Later, Ray began a career in insurance, first with Life of Georgia, and eventually with Woodman of the World, where he retired as an area manager. Ray was a member of Baxter Church of Christ. He was a skilled woodworker who enjoyed making furniture and especially crafting toys for his grandchildren. He and his wife, Grace loved to travel. He was known for making friends and it was often said that "he never met a stranger." In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Michael Houston Presley; two brothers, Charles Presley and Willard (Hootie) Presley; sister-in-law, Vivian Presley; and nephew, Robert Presley He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Grace Thomas Presley (whom he married October 14, 1949 in Baxter, TN); daughter and son-in-law, Sherrie and Chase Evans of Nashville; special daughter-in-law, Carolyn Hamby and her husband Terry of Cadiz, KY; sister, Jean Watts of Baxter; four grandchildren, Martha Presley (husband, Danny Tran), Michael Presley (wife, Lauren), Cody and Hunter Evans; two great-grandchildren, Michael (Tripp) Houston Presley III, and Oliver Tran; and numerous nieces and nephews. Chase, Cody, and Hunter Evans, Michael Presley, Steve Watts, and Glen Thomas will serve as pallbearers. Ray's family wishes to extend a special "THANK-YOU" Heritage Point Assisted Living and Avalone Hospice for their excellent care. Memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Association, 1459 Interstate Drive Suite 211, Cookeville, TN 38501.