February 29, 1936 - April 18, 2020
After a lengthy illness, Raymond (“Ray”) Potts Hale passed away on April 18, 2020. Born on February 29, 1936, he and his twin brother, Wayne, were born to the late Stafford and Mary Hale in Corinth, Mississippi. He spent most of his childhood in Corinth before moving to Modesto, California. Ray attended Downey High School where he excelled in track and field.
After graduating high school, Ray attended Modesto Junior College and continued as a track and field athlete. Ray earned a track scholarship and attended University of Southern California (USC). He left USC to join the United States Air Force and served from 1957 through 1961. During that time, he met his wife, Rebecca (“Becky”), whom he married in Marshall, Texas in 1959. While living at Bossier Base in Shreveport, Louisiana, their first son was born. After the military, he attended Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana as a History major and graduated in 1962. While in his Master’s program at NSU, their second son was born. After school, he took a job with Dial Finance Company in Shreveport, and their third son was born.
Following a job transfer opportunity in 1968, Ray and his family moved to Manteca, California. Ray worked for Dial Finance Company until 1970, and relocated to Stockton, California to work for Northwestern Mutual. His career as a life insurance agent spanned over 40 years, until his retirement in 2014. During the 1977 and 1978 Track and Field seasons, he coached at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Stockton, CA, and in 1978 had four track athletes qualify for the CIF State Meet. For his superior athleticism in the sports of Cross Country and Track and Field, Ray was inducted into both the Downey High School Athletic Hall of Fame (1989) and the Modesto Junior College Athletic Hall of Fame (1998). Ray’s high school mile time of 4:21 was the Valley Oak League meet record for 43 years.
Ray is predeceased by his father and mother Stafford and Mary, and his brothers (Wayne and Morris). He is survived by his wife Becky of Stockton, CA, his sons and their spouses Randy (Girlie) of Lodi, CA, John of Stockton, CA, and Steven (Julie) of Stamford, CT, and his grandchildren and their spouses Sean, Katelyn, Kristen (Souhail Hlal), Sarah (Jeffrey Gilley), and Emily. He is also survived by his sister Betty Laughlin of Corinth, MS, and several extended family members in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Missouri.
SERVICES:
A memorial service will be held at Cherokee Memorial Park at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Raymond P. Hale to the Alzheimer’s Association. You can visit their website: www.alz.org or access Ray’s Alzheimer’s Association Tribute Page: https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Events/Tributes-AlzheimersChampions?pg=fund&fr_id=1060&pxfid=618558.