Birth date: Jul 13, 1935 Death date: Apr 25, 2023
Clarence Ray Coleman was born on July 13, 1935, in Dustin Oklahoma to Elsie I. Coleman (Baxter) and Cecil C. Coleman. He died on April 25, 2023, at 87 years old, 3 months short of his 88th birthday. Clarence was active in the U.S. Read Obituary
My Uncle Ray gave me my middle name & first pep talk that I ever remember getting, it would have been sometime about 1970-71, it was in the dining room of Grannie Elsies dining room when I was crying or whining about not being able to do something my older cousins were all doing outside, probably climb a tree or shoot a gun or who knows, I don’t remember what my issue was but I remember what he said and did. He hiked up his trouser leg and got down on one knee to be at eye level with me, looked me in the eye, put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Now Dicky Ray” he always used my middle name because it was his too. “Now Dicky Ray, you stop feeling sorry for yourself, there is nothing in the world you can’t do, I believe that and you should too! You are the smartest kid of all the boys on this hill and I expect great things out of you, so dry them eyes, get it together and go back outside and show your dumbass cousins who the smart one is, and then grow up and be president and invite your old uncle Ray to the Whitehouse for dinner because I know you can do it! Remember this, you can do anything you set your mind to! Now go on outside and enjoy the sunshine, love ya bud” then he turned me around, pointed me towards the door, patted my butt as a way of moving me forward and send me to the porch, as I turned and look back from the screen door, he said, "remember what I said, you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to.
That speech I never forgot, and I hear his words and his confidence when I am struggling and it always helps me through, when I can’t stop the negative voices in my head his confident assuring voice always comes in from my memories and drowns out the doubt, I would not be half the man I am today without my favorite Uncle. I love you Uncle Ray, your favorite nephew, Richard RAY Coleman.
Thank-you for being a great dad to Clayton . He is a great dad to Allison and
Colton thank-you for being his role model.Ray will be deeply missed by everyone. Julia Smith
I will miss you uncle ray and I love you so much
