Ova Belle Wray

Mrs. Ova Belle Morris Wray passed away Thursday, November 16, 2023.

Mrs. Wray was born December 3, 1933, in Buchanan, Georgia, the daughter of the late Euel Morris and Nancy Shoemaker Morris.

Mrs. Wray lived a long and fulfilling life, almost reaching her ninetieth birthday. She was a dynamic person, adventurous in nature, and known for her competitive spirit. She had many talents and abilities: gardening, sewing, farm work, playing the piano, and was an excellent cook. She was a nurturer to all, the source of many fond memories for her grandchildren. She gave them all the freedom to explore and to grow, roaming pastures at her home, riding their bikes, and feeding the calves. Mrs. Wray was known for her exceptional green thumb and willingness to feed any animal in sight. Oftentimes her humor would catch you off guard and she kept her family laughing. Above all, Mrs. Wray loved her family deeply and her legacy will be carried forward by the many memories she made with them.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Wray was preceded in death by her beloved husband of seventy-one years, Mr. Thomas Wray, Jr.; daughter, Gail West; and siblings: Nettie Pearl Johnson, Curtis Morris, Charlene Burruss, Shirley Lewis, and Harold Morris.

Mrs. Wray is survived by her sons: Tommy Wray and his wife, Sue, and Steve Wray and his wife, Betty; son-in-law, Duane West, Jr.; grandchildren: Amy Jacobo and her husband, Daniel, Ben West and his wife, Amanda, Lauren Mattox and her husband, Zack, Leslie Whitton, Sabrina Agan and her husband, Jason, Matthew Wray and his wife, Kaci, and Nick Wray and his wife, Lauren; fourteen great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and brother, Jimmy Morris and his wife, Marie.

Funeral services to celebrate her life will be held Sunday, November 19, 2023, at 3:00 PM, in the Chapel of Smith & Miller Funeral Home, with Reverend Joe Bates officiating. Interment will follow in the Lime Branch Baptist Church Cemetery.

The following gentlemen will serve as pallbearers: Steve Wray, Tommy Wray, Nick Wray, Matthew Wray, Ben West, Daniel Jacobo, and Zack Mattox. Serving as an honorary pallbearer will be Mr. Duane West, Jr. 

Mrs. Wray’s family will receive friends, also on Sunday afternoon, at the Smith & Miller Funeral Home, from 2:00 PM until the service hour.

The Smith & Miller Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Mrs. Ova Belle Morris Wray.