Obituary of Lawrence Eldon Wray

Lawrence Eldon Wray was born in Ravenwood, Missouri to Eugene and Edith (Birkenholz) Wray on September 20, 1958; he was one of 4 children.

He and his siblings; Charles, Verlene and Lorraine attended school at Northeast Nodaway R-V High School, and Lawrence graduated with the class of 1977.  After graduation, he attended Northwest Technical School in Maryville, MO for auto mechanics, then moved on to Southwestern Community College at Creston to get his Certificate in Auto Engineering.

He worked various jobs such as Greenfield Auto Parts/EFD Express Agent as a driver from 1977 to 1980, then on to Pope & Talbot, Inc in Maryville, Mo from 1980-1992 as a material handler, supply coordinator and a shipping and receiving tech leader. His last job before he retired was at Pella Corp in Shenandoah, IA where he spent 25 years as a material handler, and then as Maintenance on both first and second shift.

In 1984, he married Sherry Gaye Jones, and together they had a son, Alex, in 1989, and they later divorced.  In April 1999, he married Patricia “Cherie” Muzzy, and she brought two stepsons, Thomas, and Garion to their union.

Lawrence, or Hoss, as some of his friends called him, loved the Old Thresher Reunion. He enjoyed fishing, camping, working on mowers and small engines in the garage.  He would enjoy just sitting outside in his chair, or playing his harmonica.  Lawrence enjoyed playing with his trains, playing games with friends and family, especially the grandkids.  He would spend spare time watching Westerns and Sci-fi, or playing cards on the computer, or looking up things he couldn’t afford.  Lawrence would help anyone and everyone if they needed a helping hand, and he was always kind, considerate, compassionate and very loving.  

Preceding him in death are his parents Eugene and Edith Wray, and his brother Charles Wray.

Left to cherish Lawrence's memory is his Wife of 25 years, Cherie Wray, his children, Alex (Samantha) Wray, Thomas Muzzy, and Garion (Alisha) Muzzy; his grandchildren Charlotte, Nellie, Garix, Teagan, Ryker and Mathias; sisters Verlene Dougan and Lorraine O’Donnell, along with many other family members and friends.