Birth Date: 05/24/1933
Deceased Date: 02/19/2024
Ray Estil Hail, born May 24, 1933, passed away on February 19, 2024. Ray was born in Co-op, Kentucky and raised in Frostproof, Florida.
The family will receive visitors on Saturday February 24, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM in the chapel of Parrish Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held in the chapel of Parrish Funeral Home on Saturday at 2:00 PM. Burial will take place in Jacksonville National Cemetery in Florida at a later date.
As a child, Ray worked setting tile, washing bottles, and shucking oysters. Ray went on to join the army, as a minor, only with the signed permission of his mother. Ray served in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. He then re-enlisted for another seventeen years. Ray served as an E7 Sargent in the 82nd Airborne (the Intelligence Division with top secret military clearance), as a Radio Operator (in Morse Code), as a Master Tank Gunner (Tank Division), and as a Paratrooper. Ray also worked at Dana Corporation for eleven years, as a tool maker at Chrysler for thirty-three years, and as a landlord for over fifty years.
Ray had many hobbies: He was an avid fisherman; hunter of turkey, quail, pheasant, duck, deer; trained bird dogs; trapped mink, beaver, raccoon, and coyote; “broke” wild horses; was a certified scuba diver; runner; and hiker. He was a bee keeper for thirty years. He loved his bees! He even led instructional presentations for master gardeners, and spoke at Purdue University about bees.
He also loved to volunteer: He was a Sunday school teacher; church bus driver; missionary President; on the boards of First Church of the Nazarene and Spiceland Nazarene Church; and tutored adults to learn to read. Ray loved telling others about Jesus, especially though the work of missions. He went on missionary trips to Swaziland, Kenya, Malawi, Costa Rica (twice), Ecuador, Guatemala (twice), Columbia, Tobago, and Trinidad. He also volunteered in the United States: Helping with Hurricane Trina Relief (twice); One Heart Many Hands (twice); Indianapolis, Indiana inner city; Madison County Flood Relief; and the Native American Christian Academy (Sun Valley Indian School Arizona). Ray also traveled for pleasure to Belise, Japan, Jamaica, The Cayman Islands, St. John, St. Thomas, Canada, and Mexico. Ray never stopped learning and even took advanced Spanish at Ball State University.
Ray Estil Hail was proceeded in death by his daughter Diana French (1-9-16) and son Alexander Ray Hail (1-9-23).
Ray is survived by his wife Marian L. Hail, daughter Karen Hall (Tom), son Kevin Hail, step-daughter Erika Robbins (Ben), grandsons H.L. Prindle and Wesley Hall (Kate), step-grandson Oskar Robbins, unofficial granddaughter Aaliyah Anderson, and great-grandchildren Lorraine and Simeon Hall.
Online condolences may be expressed to the family at Parrishfh.com
