Everett Ray Young was born July 7, 1934, in McCurtain, OK to Mevin Ray & Della Mae Bethune Young.  Ray & his twin sister Etta Mae were 8th and 9th of 10 children. Ray had 5 brothers & 4 sisters. He was the last living sibling. He passed away in his home on July 1, 2021, six days before his 87th birthday. He had a 16 year fight with Alzheimer’s disease.
Ray spent his childhood in McCurtain, OK. He joined the United States Air Force June 1, 1954. He completed basic training in San Antonio, TX. He then trained in freight, shipping, & supply at Boulder AFB in Boulder, WY, before deploying to Germany for 3 years. After Germany, Ray was stationed at Vance AFB, Enid, OK. It was there, that he met Retha Morris, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. Pursuing Retha, was not easy, but Ray was persistent. After a year of asking Retha out & being turned down repeatedly, she finally gave in to a double date on a Sunday afternoon in April, 1959, & saw Ray in a different light and then never turned  back. Ray’s good looks & charm won Retha’s heart. They were married on June 2, 1959 & 3 months later Ray was stationed at Bentwaters AFB, England.  He & the family returned to the United States & then was stationed at Amarillo AFB, Texas in 1962.
The family moved to Enid, OK, while Ray was stationed to a base in Keflavik, Iceland for 1 year. Upon Ray’s return the family moved to Offutt AFB, Omaha, NB, in 1966. Ray & family then moved to Marysville, MO in 1969, where Ray did recruiting at a college in Marysville for 3 years. The family then moved back to Enid, OK,  while Ray spent 1 year at the AFB in Bangkok, Thailand, in late 1972, during the Vietnam War. After Thailand, Ray spent his last year of service to the United States Air Force at Tinker AFB, Midewest City, OK. Ray served honorably and retired from the US Air Force, after 20 years of service, in June, 1974.
Ray is survived by his wife Retha, daughter Julie Fikes, son Steven Young & wife Cheryl, son Joe Young & wife Cherie. In addition, Ray is survived by 8 grandchildren & 13 great grandchildren, & many nieces & nephews.  
Ray made his life count and his presence will be FOREVER MISSED!