[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 356]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE OF JESSE WILLIAM ``J.W.'' RAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BRIAN BABIN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 6, 2017

  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Jesse 
William ``J.W.'' Ray, who died on January 2, 2017.
   J.W. lived an impressive life. He served as a Seabee 24th NCB in the 
United States Navy in the Pacific Theatre during World War II and was 
among the soldiers who fought in the Philippines and Okinawa before 
being honorably discharged on April 20, 1946.
   After leaving the U.S. Navy, J.W. married and was blessed with four 
children. He spent thirteen years working with Texaco refinery as a 
pipefitter and two years working for the Southern Pacific Railroad. As 
a family man, J.W. decided to leave the railroad because it took him 
away from his loved ones for days at a time. He entered the insurance 
industry and founded his own insurance company in Woodville, Texas, 
which he ran for forty years.
   When his first wife Cecil passed away in 2004, J.W. began Cecil's 
Pantry at the United Methodist Church in Warren, Texas. It still 
continues to help others today.
   J.W. Ray was a kind man and I feel honored and privileged to have 
known him. He will be missed, and his family will continue to be in our 
prayers.

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