Ray Collier Jr.
1943—2026
Ray Collier Jr., age 82, of Grove City, Ohio, passed away April 9, 2026, after a three-year battle with cancer.
Born April 21, 1943, in Warfield, Kentucky, he was the son of Ray and Ruby (Dalton) Collier, Sr.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his older brother, William.
He is survived by his wife of over 64 years, Judy (Chaffins) Collier; his son, A. Bently Collier; his granddaughter, Dr. Morgan Collier McGraw (husband, Major McGraw); and his brother, Larry Jack Collier (Marty Collier).
Ray and Judy started dating when he was 15 and she was 14. They eloped when Ray was a young 18-year-old junior in college and Judy was a beautiful senior in high school.
Ray graduated from Warfield High School in Warfield, Kentucky, and Pikeville College (now the University of Pikeville) in Pikeville, Kentucky. He began his working career as a teacher. In 1969, he took what was supposed to be a temporary summer job, which led to a career spanning over 30 years in retail management leadership.
During those 30+ years, Ray, Judy and Bently lived in Kentucky, New York and Ohio. After Bently graduated from college, Ray and Judy lived in Kentucky, West Virginia, Florida, Saudi Arabia and Ohio, where they have resided since 1989.
Ray was raised in a Free Will Baptist household, graduated from a Presbyterian college, belonged to a Lutheran church, and, before he became ill, attended a Methodist church. He did not care about being a good Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran or Methodist; he only wanted to be a good Christian, a path he embraced starting April 22, 2017.
When Ray was introduced to someone, he would sometimes jokingly tell the person to remember him as a “Ray of sunshine.” The world became a little darker April 9, 2026, at 10:21 p.m., when this ray of sunshine passed away.
Friends may visit Tuesday, April 14, 2026, from 11 a.m. until time of funeral at noon at the Spence-Miller Funeral Home, 2697 Columbus Street, Grove City, Ohio 43123, with Dr. Christinia Fetherolf officiating. Interment will follow at Grove City Cemetery. Online guestbook at spencemillerfuneralhome.com.