William Pancratins Ray II, 71, died on Jan. 25 after a battle with cancer. He was born in New Haven, Ky. and moved to Conyers in 1944, when his father, James Leslie Ray, came here to supervise the construction of The Monastery of the Holy Ghost. Mr. Ray attended Conyers High School and graduated in 1954.

He was president of the student council, co-captain of the football team and was on the basketball and track teams and represented Conyers at Georgia Boys State. He was elected most athletic male at Conyers High School in 1954.

He attended Georgia Institute of Technology and went to work for Gibson Homans Company. While living in Conyers he was appointed to the first Citizens Advisory Committee in 1962 and was a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. He was with Gibson Homes for the next 26 years, living in Conyers, New Orleans and Cleveland, Ohio.

He rose to the position of senior vice president and general manager of the company during that period. He started his own sales agency in Charlotte, N.C. and remained there for 13 years. He retired in 2000 and returned to Conyers with his wife Tommie Bates Ray in 2001.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Tommie Bates Ray of Covington. He also is survived by daughters Teena Ray and son-in-law Greg Bradley, Victoria Ray and son-in-law Larry LaFleur; son William Pancratins Ray III and daughter-in-law Cindy Bley Ray; nine grandchildren Chase, Alyssa and Kacie Bradley; Ashton LaFleur, Alyson and Zack Ray; Margaret, Isabel and Durham Bley; three nephews and three nieces. He has one surviving brother, James L. Ray Jr. and wife Vivian from Wilsonville, Ala. He was preceded in death by parents James L. Ray and Ethel Johnson Ray; sister Jean Ray Ford; brother-in-law Dr. H. K. Ford.

The family will receive friends at St. Pius X in Conyers for mass at 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28. The body was cremated. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Judes Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101-9929 or The Monastery of the Holy Ghost, 2635 Ga. Highway 212 SW, Conyers, GA 30094