Ray

Violet Mae (McKee) Ray, 93, of Butler, peacefully passed away early on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.

Born Sept. 30, 1931, in Worthington, Armstrong County, she was the daughter of the late Thomas Clifford and Ethel Irene Wagner McKee.

Violet married Perry Franklin Ray, her high school sweetheart, on Aug. 24, 1951.

She was a 1949 graduate of Worthington-West Franklin High School, where she was art editor of her yearbook. She attended Indiana State Teachers College. She worked for 15 years at Lifesteps Adult Day Care in Butler.

Violet was a member of the Mount Zion Baptist Church, Prospect, where she was a former Sunday school teacher and volunteered in the church nursery.

She was active for 43 years in Butler County 4-H, including 4-H leader of the Unionville Community 4-H Club, the Unionville Sewing Club and the Unionville Agricultural 4-H Club. She was a former member of the Unionville Grange and the Pennsylvania Gladiolus Society. She taught art at the First Baptist Christian School and was a Girl Scout leader for several years.

Violet enjoyed riding horses as a youth on her family farm, teaching Sunday school, quilting, sewing, baking, gardening, 4-H, painting and entomology. She also liked taking bus trips with her husband and traveled around Alaska, Canada and the U.S. She found being a wife and stay-at-home mother made her happy and very fulfilled.

She is survived by five sons, Richard Ray of Butler, Dennis Ray of Butler, Thomas Ray of Harrisville, Jonathan Ray of Colorado and Christopher (Leslie) Ray of Butler; four daughters, Susan (Greg) Levish of Sarver, Hope (Larry) Hoffman of Mount Chestnut, Cindy (Guy) Weiland of Butler and Karen (Jamal) Al-Faleh of Maryland; 25 grandchildren; 39 great-grandchildren; seven great-great-grandchildren; her cat, Kitty; and her brother, Jack (Judy) McKee of Montrose, Pa.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Perry F. Ray, in 2019 after 67 years of marriage; her brothers, Dean R. McKee, T. Craig McKee and James A. McKee; and her sister, Marilyn R. McKee Elder.

RAY — Visitation for Violet Mae (McKee) Ray, who died Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, at RAISLEY FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION SERVICES, 387 Main St., Prospect.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 900 Mount Zion Church Road, Prospect, with the Rev. Ben Oesterling, officiating.

Interment will be at Greenlawn Burial Estates, Mount Chestnut, Pa.

Memorial contributions may be made to Mount Zion Baptist Church, 900 Mount Zion Church Road, Prospect, PA 16052.

For more information or to leave an online tribute go to www.raisleyfuneralhome.com.

Please sign the guest book at www.butlereagle.com.