Husband of:
Mary Barbara Blatt (m. 1957, WY)
Father of:
Marcella
Karla
Martin
Brother of:
Edmond
Wendell
Jeannetta
Oct. 4, 2019, Ray E. Marley, 87, of Flora Vista, N.M., died in his home surrounded by his wife Mary and his three children. His memorial services will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, at 2 p.m. at the Farmington New Mexico First Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Marley was born in Stringtown Oklahoma, the eldest son of Ray and Ruby Marley, and from an early age was taught the value of hard work, faith in God and staying true to your word. The family was extremely poor and were the very definition of subsistence farmers.
Graduating from Nashoba Oklahoma High School in 1949 he went to college at Eastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Wilburton until enlisting in the Air Force in 1951. He served stateside and also in Korea, Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines for the next four years until moving to Wyoming and enrolling at Casper College in 1955.
While going to college and working as an ambulance driver, he met his future wife, Mary, in 1956 and they wed in June 1957, moving to Laramie, Wyo., to continue their studies at the University of Wyoming, where Mr. Marley graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1959.
After graduation he moved the family to Los Angeles where he was employed by Hughes Aircraft teaching Field Engineers the air to air fire control systems of the Hughes missiles until the lure of the Far North beckoned and in the summer of 1960 moved his family to Anchorage Alaska where he worked for the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). Over the next nearly thirty years there were few parts of the state that Mr. Marley did not travel to, and in the early days he had the distinction of having been transported by some of Alaska's legendary bush pilots. He was instrumental in the construction and maintenance of many navigational facilities ranging from the north slope to the pan handle and from the Aleutian chain all the way up the west coast.
Ray retired from government service in June 1990, though he continued his aviation career in Alaska and the Southwest for the next 27 years until he decided that 71 years in the work force was quite enough.
Mr. Marley was an avid outdoorsman and passed that appreciation and knowledge on to his children as they camped, hunted, fished and rode horses. There were few roads, paved and unpaved, that the Marley family did not venture to during the summer and fall. Favorite spots included the Tangle Lakes area. Ray and his son spent many years hunting the lower Clearwater Creek area on an off road vehicle until switching to horses in the Upper Clearwater, McLaren River, and Jack River areas in pursuit of moose, caribou, Dall sheep and grizzly bear.
In 1966, Mr. Marley joined the Mt. View Alaska Lion's Club, and for more than the next half century he was active on a local, state and international level, culminating in his serving for two years as International Director beginning in 1977. Mr. and Mrs. Marley traveled all over the world, including the Alaskan and Canadian arctic with the Lions, and he remained active until poor health curtailed his participation only recently. The breadth of all he was involved in during that time would fill volumes.
In spite of their busy lives, Ray and Mary were active with the Presbyterian Church in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Farmington, where Ray served as an elder and also on the building maintenance committee. He enjoyed weekly coffee with some of his church friends as well as attendance at Sunday school.
Mr. Marley will be fondly remembered by family, friends and acquaintances as an avid and entertaining story teller whose range of interests seemed to know no boundaries. His many experiences from a depression era childhood, his work and hunting in the wilds of Alaska, the FAA, Lions club, provided amazingly fertile ground to draw from, and he did so frequently and with great enthusiasm and certitude.
Mr. Marley is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary of Flora Vista; two daughters, Marcella of Anchorage, and Karla (Jim) of Colorado Springs, CO.; and one son, Martin (Kelly) of Snoqualmie, WA. He also leaves five grandchildren,Tyrell, Travis, Justin, Lena and Ethan, as well as one great grandchild, Max. He is also survived by a brother, Wendell (Norma) of McAlester Oklahoma, and many nieces and nephews.
Mary Barbara Blatt (m. 1957, WY)
Father of:
Marcella
Karla
Martin
Brother of:
Edmond
Wendell
Jeannetta
Oct. 4, 2019, Ray E. Marley, 87, of Flora Vista, N.M., died in his home surrounded by his wife Mary and his three children. His memorial services will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, at 2 p.m. at the Farmington New Mexico First Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Marley was born in Stringtown Oklahoma, the eldest son of Ray and Ruby Marley, and from an early age was taught the value of hard work, faith in God and staying true to your word. The family was extremely poor and were the very definition of subsistence farmers.
Graduating from Nashoba Oklahoma High School in 1949 he went to college at Eastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Wilburton until enlisting in the Air Force in 1951. He served stateside and also in Korea, Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines for the next four years until moving to Wyoming and enrolling at Casper College in 1955.
While going to college and working as an ambulance driver, he met his future wife, Mary, in 1956 and they wed in June 1957, moving to Laramie, Wyo., to continue their studies at the University of Wyoming, where Mr. Marley graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1959.
After graduation he moved the family to Los Angeles where he was employed by Hughes Aircraft teaching Field Engineers the air to air fire control systems of the Hughes missiles until the lure of the Far North beckoned and in the summer of 1960 moved his family to Anchorage Alaska where he worked for the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). Over the next nearly thirty years there were few parts of the state that Mr. Marley did not travel to, and in the early days he had the distinction of having been transported by some of Alaska's legendary bush pilots. He was instrumental in the construction and maintenance of many navigational facilities ranging from the north slope to the pan handle and from the Aleutian chain all the way up the west coast.
Ray retired from government service in June 1990, though he continued his aviation career in Alaska and the Southwest for the next 27 years until he decided that 71 years in the work force was quite enough.
Mr. Marley was an avid outdoorsman and passed that appreciation and knowledge on to his children as they camped, hunted, fished and rode horses. There were few roads, paved and unpaved, that the Marley family did not venture to during the summer and fall. Favorite spots included the Tangle Lakes area. Ray and his son spent many years hunting the lower Clearwater Creek area on an off road vehicle until switching to horses in the Upper Clearwater, McLaren River, and Jack River areas in pursuit of moose, caribou, Dall sheep and grizzly bear.
In 1966, Mr. Marley joined the Mt. View Alaska Lion's Club, and for more than the next half century he was active on a local, state and international level, culminating in his serving for two years as International Director beginning in 1977. Mr. and Mrs. Marley traveled all over the world, including the Alaskan and Canadian arctic with the Lions, and he remained active until poor health curtailed his participation only recently. The breadth of all he was involved in during that time would fill volumes.
In spite of their busy lives, Ray and Mary were active with the Presbyterian Church in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Farmington, where Ray served as an elder and also on the building maintenance committee. He enjoyed weekly coffee with some of his church friends as well as attendance at Sunday school.
Mr. Marley will be fondly remembered by family, friends and acquaintances as an avid and entertaining story teller whose range of interests seemed to know no boundaries. His many experiences from a depression era childhood, his work and hunting in the wilds of Alaska, the FAA, Lions club, provided amazingly fertile ground to draw from, and he did so frequently and with great enthusiasm and certitude.
Mr. Marley is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary of Flora Vista; two daughters, Marcella of Anchorage, and Karla (Jim) of Colorado Springs, CO.; and one son, Martin (Kelly) of Snoqualmie, WA. He also leaves five grandchildren,Tyrell, Travis, Justin, Lena and Ethan, as well as one great grandchild, Max. He is also survived by a brother, Wendell (Norma) of McAlester Oklahoma, and many nieces and nephews.
Husband of:
Mary Barbara Blatt (m. 1957, WY)
Father of:
Marcella
Karla
Martin
Brother of:
Edmond
Wendell
Jeannetta
Oct. 4, 2019, Ray E. Marley, 87, of Flora Vista, N.M., died in his home surrounded by his wife Mary and his three children. His memorial services will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, at 2 p.m. at the Farmington New Mexico First Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Marley was born in Stringtown Oklahoma, the eldest son of Ray and Ruby Marley, and from an early age was taught the value of hard work, faith in God and staying true to your word. The family was extremely poor and were the very definition of subsistence farmers.
Graduating from Nashoba Oklahoma High School in 1949 he went to college at Eastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Wilburton until enlisting in the Air Force in 1951. He served stateside and also in Korea, Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines for the next four years until moving to Wyoming and enrolling at Casper College in 1955.
While going to college and working as an ambulance driver, he met his future wife, Mary, in 1956 and they wed in June 1957, moving to Laramie, Wyo., to continue their studies at the University of Wyoming, where Mr. Marley graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1959.
After graduation he moved the family to Los Angeles where he was employed by Hughes Aircraft teaching Field Engineers the air to air fire control systems of the Hughes missiles until the lure of the Far North beckoned and in the summer of 1960 moved his family to Anchorage Alaska where he worked for the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). Over the next nearly thirty years there were few parts of the state that Mr. Marley did not travel to, and in the early days he had the distinction of having been transported by some of Alaska's legendary bush pilots. He was instrumental in the construction and maintenance of many navigational facilities ranging from the north slope to the pan handle and from the Aleutian chain all the way up the west coast.
Ray retired from government service in June 1990, though he continued his aviation career in Alaska and the Southwest for the next 27 years until he decided that 71 years in the work force was quite enough.
Mr. Marley was an avid outdoorsman and passed that appreciation and knowledge on to his children as they camped, hunted, fished and rode horses. There were few roads, paved and unpaved, that the Marley family did not venture to during the summer and fall. Favorite spots included the Tangle Lakes area. Ray and his son spent many years hunting the lower Clearwater Creek area on an off road vehicle until switching to horses in the Upper Clearwater, McLaren River, and Jack River areas in pursuit of moose, caribou, Dall sheep and grizzly bear.
In 1966, Mr. Marley joined the Mt. View Alaska Lion's Club, and for more than the next half century he was active on a local, state and international level, culminating in his serving for two years as International Director beginning in 1977. Mr. and Mrs. Marley traveled all over the world, including the Alaskan and Canadian arctic with the Lions, and he remained active until poor health curtailed his participation only recently. The breadth of all he was involved in during that time would fill volumes.
In spite of their busy lives, Ray and Mary were active with the Presbyterian Church in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Farmington, where Ray served as an elder and also on the building maintenance committee. He enjoyed weekly coffee with some of his church friends as well as attendance at Sunday school.
Mr. Marley will be fondly remembered by family, friends and acquaintances as an avid and entertaining story teller whose range of interests seemed to know no boundaries. His many experiences from a depression era childhood, his work and hunting in the wilds of Alaska, the FAA, Lions club, provided amazingly fertile ground to draw from, and he did so frequently and with great enthusiasm and certitude.
Mr. Marley is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary of Flora Vista; two daughters, Marcella of Anchorage, and Karla (Jim) of Colorado Springs, CO.; and one son, Martin (Kelly) of Snoqualmie, WA. He also leaves five grandchildren,Tyrell, Travis, Justin, Lena and Ethan, as well as one great grandchild, Max. He is also survived by a brother, Wendell (Norma) of McAlester Oklahoma, and many nieces and nephews.
Mary Barbara Blatt (m. 1957, WY)
Father of:
Marcella
Karla
Martin
Brother of:
Edmond
Wendell
Jeannetta
Oct. 4, 2019, Ray E. Marley, 87, of Flora Vista, N.M., died in his home surrounded by his wife Mary and his three children. His memorial services will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, at 2 p.m. at the Farmington New Mexico First Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Marley was born in Stringtown Oklahoma, the eldest son of Ray and Ruby Marley, and from an early age was taught the value of hard work, faith in God and staying true to your word. The family was extremely poor and were the very definition of subsistence farmers.
Graduating from Nashoba Oklahoma High School in 1949 he went to college at Eastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Wilburton until enlisting in the Air Force in 1951. He served stateside and also in Korea, Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines for the next four years until moving to Wyoming and enrolling at Casper College in 1955.
While going to college and working as an ambulance driver, he met his future wife, Mary, in 1956 and they wed in June 1957, moving to Laramie, Wyo., to continue their studies at the University of Wyoming, where Mr. Marley graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1959.
After graduation he moved the family to Los Angeles where he was employed by Hughes Aircraft teaching Field Engineers the air to air fire control systems of the Hughes missiles until the lure of the Far North beckoned and in the summer of 1960 moved his family to Anchorage Alaska where he worked for the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). Over the next nearly thirty years there were few parts of the state that Mr. Marley did not travel to, and in the early days he had the distinction of having been transported by some of Alaska's legendary bush pilots. He was instrumental in the construction and maintenance of many navigational facilities ranging from the north slope to the pan handle and from the Aleutian chain all the way up the west coast.
Ray retired from government service in June 1990, though he continued his aviation career in Alaska and the Southwest for the next 27 years until he decided that 71 years in the work force was quite enough.
Mr. Marley was an avid outdoorsman and passed that appreciation and knowledge on to his children as they camped, hunted, fished and rode horses. There were few roads, paved and unpaved, that the Marley family did not venture to during the summer and fall. Favorite spots included the Tangle Lakes area. Ray and his son spent many years hunting the lower Clearwater Creek area on an off road vehicle until switching to horses in the Upper Clearwater, McLaren River, and Jack River areas in pursuit of moose, caribou, Dall sheep and grizzly bear.
In 1966, Mr. Marley joined the Mt. View Alaska Lion's Club, and for more than the next half century he was active on a local, state and international level, culminating in his serving for two years as International Director beginning in 1977. Mr. and Mrs. Marley traveled all over the world, including the Alaskan and Canadian arctic with the Lions, and he remained active until poor health curtailed his participation only recently. The breadth of all he was involved in during that time would fill volumes.
In spite of their busy lives, Ray and Mary were active with the Presbyterian Church in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Farmington, where Ray served as an elder and also on the building maintenance committee. He enjoyed weekly coffee with some of his church friends as well as attendance at Sunday school.
Mr. Marley will be fondly remembered by family, friends and acquaintances as an avid and entertaining story teller whose range of interests seemed to know no boundaries. His many experiences from a depression era childhood, his work and hunting in the wilds of Alaska, the FAA, Lions club, provided amazingly fertile ground to draw from, and he did so frequently and with great enthusiasm and certitude.
Mr. Marley is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary of Flora Vista; two daughters, Marcella of Anchorage, and Karla (Jim) of Colorado Springs, CO.; and one son, Martin (Kelly) of Snoqualmie, WA. He also leaves five grandchildren,Tyrell, Travis, Justin, Lena and Ethan, as well as one great grandchild, Max. He is also survived by a brother, Wendell (Norma) of McAlester Oklahoma, and many nieces and nephews.
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