Ray B. King

Ray B. King, 88, of Abilene, passed away on Tuesday, August 21, 2018.  He was a soft spoken, yet larger than life man who always made a positive difference wherever he went.

Memorial services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Monday, August 27, 2018 at the First Central Presbyterian Church, with the Dr. Cliff Stewart and Dr. Janice Six officiating. Services are under the direction of The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road.

Ray was born on May 17, 1930 in Solgohachia, Arkansas to the late Mell and Inez (Bearden) King.  His childhood was spent in Arkansas and his favorite memories were of spending summers at his grandparent’s farm with his cousins.  In high school his family moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee as part of the World War II Manhattan project.   It was there that he met his future wife Martha Abbott.  He graduated from Carson Newman College with a degrees in history and philosophy.

Ray and Martha were married on August 9, 1951 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.   In 1953 they moved to Dallas and later to Wichita Falls, where they lived for 18 years. They relocated to Abilene in 1971.  In the late 1970s he became a life insurance agent with Northwestern Mutual Financial Services, a career he loved because it allowed him to develop relationships as he helped people solve needs.  His passion to serve his clients drove him to earn the designations of Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC). His success resulted in achievement of Million Dollar Round Table lifetime membership.

Ray was very active in his community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Disabilities Resources, Inc. and the Betty Hardwick Center. He was also involved in the Special Olympics with his son Brian.  Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was the founding of Goodwill of Abilene.   As a result, he was the initial recipient of the Northwestern Mutual Community Impact award in 1995.  He was also honored on May 4, 2016 by Goodwill with a luncheon and the proclamation of “Ray King Day” by then Mayor Norm Archibald.  Ray was an active member of the First Central Presbyterian Church where he served as an elder. He was also a member of the Abilene Kiwanis Club.

Ray was preceded in death by his daughter, Jill King in 2015, as well as his brother, David King and his sister, Dorothy Gibson. 

Survivors include his wife Martha, of Abilene; son Brian King, of Abilene; and daughter Carol Hebert and husband Ray, of Colleyville, Texas.

Family suggest memorials be made to Disability Resources, Inc., 3602 N. Clack, Abilene, TX 79601, Goodwill-West Texas, 2200 N. First, Abilene, TX 79603 or the First Central Presbyterian Church, 400 Orange Street, Abilene, TX 79601.