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Raymond Thomas McElhaney, 85 of Athens entered his heavenly home on Sunday, January 30th 2022.
He will be greatly missed and will be fondly remembered because of his devotion to his family and his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Ray was born to the late John and Cora McElhaney in Bratt, Florida on January 24, 1937. He grew up in Bratt and Cantonment, Florida, and joined the United States Air Force following high school. He married his best friend and the love of his life, Clara Mae Morris on January 31, 1958. She faithfully supported and worked alongside him for 64 years. They were blessed with three daughters, whom he taught how to fix almost anything, the importance of family, but most importantly,to love the Lord and trust Him in all things. He surrendered to the call to serve the Lord and began his life of service in 1955 at the age of 18. Ray was a bi-vocational Pastor of 3 congregations. Farm Hill Baptist Church, Cantonment, Florida. Old Town Creek Baptist Church, Town Creek, Alabama, and First Baptist Church Tanner, Tanner, Alabama. He became a full time Pastor in 1992 when he retired after 31 years with Chemstrand / Monsanto Company, where he served as the area personnel representative. He served 37 years at Tanner. Bro. Ray loved his congregation and was so proud to tell anyone that First Baptist Tanner was his family. He never hesitated to connect with a stranger or share the word of God. After leaving Tanner, he and Clara joined First Baptist Church of Athens, Alabama, where he enjoyed teaching Sunday school and serving as a Deacon. One of his proudest moments in his ministry was in 1994, when he was invited to be the first bi-vocational Pastor to deliver the convention message for the Alabama Baptist State Convention. Ray enjoyed experiencing God’s beautiful creation by being outdoors. He loved hunting, working in his yard or garden, watching and feeding ‘his’ birds, relaxing in his swing, but was most passionate in his love of fishing. His enjoyment of this sport was shared by his daughter Cindy and his Grandson Elliott. The rest of the family enjoyed the bounty of his countless hours on the river or hearing detailed accounts of his fish tales, especially of the ‘one that got away’.
