Ray E. Phelps, 85

Former Blair resident Ray E. Phelps, 85, of Longview, Texas, died Thursday, July 12, 2007, at Longview.

Funeral services are 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 17, at the Main Street Church of Christ in Yellville, Ark. Interment will be in the Layton Cemetery at Yellville.

Ray Edward Phelps was born Dec. 17, 1921, in Omaha to Henrietta Axilena Printz Phelps and Rubie Goodwin Phelps.

He grew up in Omaha, and attended Phillips University in Enid, Okla., planning to serve in the ministry.

On June 10, 1945, he married his Omaha sweetheart, Donna Williamson. Together with their three children, they started their life of ministering to Christian church congregat-ions in Carlock, Ill., Kewanee, Ill., Omaha and Blair. He was particularly pleased of the involvement that he had in establishing the Wildewood Christian Church in Ralston.

In 1976, the couple moved to Flippin, Ark., where he took the position as minister of the Flippin Christian Church, allowing his wife to care for her parents.

At retirement, Mr. and Mrs. Phelps moved to Yellville, and enjoyed 28 years in Arkansas.

In 2004, after the death of his wife, Mr. Phelps moved to Longview to be closer to his daughter and her family.

He enjoyed being around his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, especially when they could all play with the model train sets out in the garage.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Lowell and Debbie; daughter and son-in-law, Kathy and Craig Moore; nine grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his son, Douglas; and a brother, Richard.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~