Walter J. Bray

Walter J. Bray, age 93, passed away Friday morning, December 14, 2012 at Tri-Lakes Medical Center in Batesville, MS. A funeral mass will be 2:00 P.M. Monday afternoon, December 17, 2012 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Batesville, MS with visitation beginning one hour prior at 1:00 P.M. with Father Sam Messina offciating. Burial will follow in Forrest Memorial Park. Walter James Bray was born August 12, 1919 in Caspian, MI to the late Frank and Sophia Retzoir Bray. Mr. Bray and his parents moved to the lower Michigan town of Hart when he was two years old. He grew up and attended schools in the Weare township and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp in March of 1942 at the start of WW II. He served in various assignments for 3 years 10 months, including fighter pilot training and was honorably discharged in December 1945. Walter went on to serve 5 years with the Wise Air National Guard for support and also with the Air Force Auxiliary for several years, where he held 2nd Lt., 1st Lt., and Captain Commission. He was married on December 4, 1943 to Mamie E. Pearson of Lambert, MS and have been married for 69 years. Mr. Bray worked for Ladish Forging Company 34 years and held various positions. He was a supervisor for approximately 16 years in estimating and pricing administration and industrial engineering. Mr. Bray retired in 1983 and moved to Pensacola, FL for 12 years and then moved to Batesville, MS in the fall of 1999 to provide health care for his wife's brother, Albert Pearson. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus in Batesville, MS. Walter is survived by his wife, Mamie Elizabeth Pearson Bray of Batesville, MS; three sisters, Sister Theresa Bray of Grand Rapids, MI, Mary Bray Cory of Roseville, MI, Barbara Bray Frulanni of Tucson, AZ; brother, William "Bill" Bray of Las Vegas, NV and several nieces and nephews. The family requests memorials in Mr. Bray's memory to be sent to St. Mary's Catholic Church Building Fund, 120 Highway 35 North, Batesville, MS 38606.