Ray Believes - This is a DAY OF CELEBRATION because of what you are about to hear in his own words. He wants you all to know that he is in Heaven with Stephanie and all of his other family and friends who have passed on believing that JESUS IS LORD!

This exchange of emails between Ray and his best friend Jerry Jones occurred in 2001. Since then Ray and Jerry have discussed many areas of God’s Word. The Book of

Ray Believes - This is a DAY OF CELEBRATION because of what you are about to hear in his own words. He wants you all to know that he is in Heaven with Stephanie and all of his other family and friends who have passed on believing that JESUS IS LORD!

This exchange of emails between Ray and his best friend Jerry Jones occurred in 2001. Since then Ray and Jerry have discussed many areas of God’s Word. The Book of James was especially helpful in understanding the loss of Stephanie on Jan 13, 2009. Ray was a second father to my daughters Valerie and Stephanie. He was respectfully referred to as Papa Ray!

May 31, 2001; 0929 AM –Subject: Beliefs Ray says.

Jerry,
This message will make you very happy; however, do not get too giddy over the imparted information as it is only a small beginning. I have been studying the place of Jesus in our current Biblical documents and have decided that He was probably the Son of God and the Savior that was predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament.

In other words, I am now a believer. Please, no sermons. Just thought you should be the first to know that I have changed my mind to that one fact. It is based on Faith alone, nothing historical, as the historical facts say that it is not true, but it is time for me to believe it or not, and I choose to believe it.

Have a great week, and weekend
Ray
---------------------------
And I replied " Totally Giddy......Congratulations."
Your Brother in Christ

By Jerry Jones who Ray referred to as “my best friend”!

I’ve known Ray Pond for 44 years. We met at a JC meeting in Raeford NC. We became friends playing golf. Our families became close. We routinely played couples bridge at each others home. We vacationed together IN TENTS at Apache campground in Myrtle Beach. He brought everything including the kitchen sink in a BIG BLUE TARP on top of the car. No one will ever forget that BIG BLUE

By Jerry Jones who Ray referred to as “my best friend”!

I’ve known Ray Pond for 44 years. We met at a JC meeting in Raeford NC. We became friends playing golf. Our families became close. We routinely played couples bridge at each others home. We vacationed together IN TENTS at Apache campground in Myrtle Beach. He brought everything including the kitchen sink in a BIG BLUE TARP on top of the car. No one will ever forget that BIG BLUE BALL on top of that car moving through the camp ground. No one but Ray could have tied that tarp on that roof and have it stay.

Ray should have been a pro-baseball pitcher. He threw me a curve ball that knocked me down. I never played catch with Ray again.

He was a great golfer. He routinely knocked it over the fence at the practice range. If we played and I won, he quit or pretended to. Eventually he would fix his game and we would play again, UNTIL I MANAGED TO WIN AGAIN. We had our moments on the golf coarse that were special. That’s where we shared family and work situations that needed to be aired. Hopefully we helped each other get through some trying times.

Ray was the smartest man I ever knew. Photographic memory. He was a Doctor, dissertation and all. He could quote the medical journal on any condition that you named.
Ray knew something about everything. If anyone had a question, they went to Ray for help.

We loved lobsters. So when we arrived at his home one weekend, he had a CRATE FULL OF LOBSTERS. We cooked and ate lobster till we were almost sick and still had lobsters left over to take home. Ray went to Maine and ate 22, yes Twenty Two lobsters.

Ray had a garden until the deer ate it. So he put and electric fence around the garden. He had a bee hive until a Bear ate it. So, He moved the bee hive inside the fence. Bad weather didn’t bother Ray. He had a Generator and a Tractor for a snow plow. We were snowed in at Rays the weekend before Christmas in 2011. On Sunday morning there was 20 inches of snow on the ground. Thanks to that Tractor we left Rays Monday morning dodging mounds of snow.

Ray was a great salesman. Bonus was his middle name.

He was a great dresser. He could pass for a Mafia Boss. I still say that he is the twin brother of Victor Neumann on the Young and the Restless.

He was a great singer. He could sing Base, Tenor, or squeaky.

He was a great fisherman. Big Base citations are hanging in his office.

Ray Loved Life! He will be waiting for me on the first tee when I get to heaven.

We always celebrated birthday dinners together, born in 1945 (pre-Boomers), me in March, Ray in June (just missed his 67th), Ruth in September, Betsy in October. Both "Southside Virginia boys", Ray and I attended Emory and Henry College together in the mid-60s. Best and closest friends in our senior years.

We will look out for Betsy, Ray. And Gracie Noel. Rest in peace. God bless.

Cathy,
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
LouAnn Hamrick Schools

"My deepest sympathy to you at this time of sorrow. Ray is in God's care now and what better care could we ever ask for him? Now I pray for your comfort in the days ahead. God bless you and keep you in His tender care and love for all eternity."

Ray was a friend at my first ever pharmaceutical sales job, but became a close friend and Christian brother in Christ once this job came to its abrupt end many years ago. He has shared many of the world's greatest jokes with me (and I'm sure many others in his life), but he has also shared many of the same Christian beliefs and values as myself. We have both helped each other look for work when we were laid off

Ray was a friend at my first ever pharmaceutical sales job, but became a close friend and Christian brother in Christ once this job came to its abrupt end many years ago. He has shared many of the world's greatest jokes with me (and I'm sure many others in his life), but he has also shared many of the same Christian beliefs and values as myself. We have both helped each other look for work when we were laid off at different times of our careers and always prayed for one another. Now, I pray for his family and your healing during this time. I also pray that Ray will be waiting to give me a hug when I join him in heaven some day--hopefully with a joke prepared, too. :) Ray's passing has really touched me and I will miss him greatly. Love, in Christ, Eve

Ray was a mentor on my first pharmaceutical job. He always had the courage to tell the truth and stand for what was right. Thankfully, he pulled me aside to whisper some "real life" advice about being a rep. His razor-sharp wit and rapid-fire banter got me through that first training. What an outstanding human being! RIP Ray: You will live on forever in my heart.

It is never easy to lose someone we love. We never get over it, but we get used to it. You are in my prayers.

Ray was a great father and will be missed very much. He has touched my life in many different ways and I was proud to be by his side in the end because he went into Gods hands peaceful and with dignity. I will never forget you Ray and Thank You for having such a wonderful Son that I can call My Husband. You will live on in our hearts.

Ray,

It was my great honor to meet you in training in Arizona. I truly enjoyed meeting, talking, learning, and listening to you. Thank you for being a friend that I could pick up the phone and even though we had not talked in forever, it was as if we had just talked the other day. My thoughts and prayers are with your family. Rest my friend, you deserve it. God Bless.

Curtis