Ray E. Flannery came into this world fighting, on March 1st, 1948, in a tiny cabin, off of an old dirt road, in rural Kentucky. He departed this mortal life in the same way, fighting until the very end, on Monday, October 7th, 2019, surrounded by his family at his home in Lamar, Missouri.
In his 71 years on this Earth, Ray touched many lives, in many different ways. Whether you knew him as Ray, Robin Hood, or the Stuttering Tick, you probably know that he was always the life of the party, and could make anyone laugh at any time. For those very fortunate few who knew him as Dad, Papa, Uncle Ray, or Honey, we got to see the very rare, but powerful, sentimental and serious side of this amazing man. However, his true joy came in being goofy, rowdy, and downright inappropriate most of the time, and everyone who knew him loved him for it.
Ray's life took him from Kentucky to Pennsylvania, down to Florida, and finally, Missouri. While in Florida, Ray worked as a tugboat captain, which explains that sailor's mouth and that heart of a lion. During his time on the boat, Ray made some of the best friends he would ever have, and saw sights that most of us can only dream of.
Ray met the love of his life, Carol Elaine Buzbee, in 1965, and the two were married on May 15th, 1969, much to the chagrin of everyone in town, who told the sweet, innocent, young Carol that Ray wouldn't last 6 months as a married man.
On May 15th, 2019, Ray and Carol celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary; and many cameras captured the beaming smile coming from Ray's face, as if to say "take that" to all those who knew him so many years ago. The road to get there was definitely a rocky one though, as Ray cheated death as often as he possibly could, and made some great stories along the way. He spent 4 of the first 6 years of his life in a full-body cast, from his neck to his ankles. He survived a factory explosion that left metal fragments permanently embedded in his leg, a motorcycle accident that took the skin from half of his body, a broken back that doctors said would prevent him from ever walking again, and 4 major heart attacks that left him with multiple stints, a quadruple bypass, and an artificial valve. To say that this man was tough is a gross understatement. He carried that fighting spirit from birth, and losing was not even in his vocabulary.
When it came to friends, Ray was as loyal as it gets, and was always surrounded by a group of people who would do anything in the world for him. He was President of his local CB club in Florida, and kept that tradition alive in Missouri, even after the advent of the cell phone. He and Carol hosted many gatherings, and everyone was always invited, even if he didn't know you yet. He never met a stranger, and everyone was considered family at the Flannery house.
Ray loved hunting and fishing, and was an award-winning archer, earning him the nickname Robin Hood, which stuck with him his whole life. He was an accomplished bowler and swimmer, and one of the greatest pool sharks you could ever see. But if you ever asked him, he would tell you his greatest accomplishment was his family. Ray is survived by his wife Carol, of Lamar, Missouri, his daughter Dawnissa Hirsch and husband Michael, of Lamar, Missouri, his daughter Cathy Daniel and husband Chad, of Lockwood, Missouri, his son Caleb Flannery and wife Jessica, of Willard, Missouri, six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and one more on the way. It's safe to say, his legacy will live on for generations to come.
So with that being said, in the immortal words of Ray Flannery, "Let it be known by far and wide, the Robin Hood is stepping aside, that arrow-splitter, that straight-shootin' son-of-a-gun, is signing off, see ya later."
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 11, 2019, in Greenfield Funeral Chapel. Burial will follow in the Maple Grove Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Thursday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the funeral chapel. Memorial contributions may be made to Make-A-Wish or to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Online condolences may be shared at www.greenfieldfuneralchapel.com. Services are under the care of Greenfield Funeral Chapel.
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