Ray, Dorothea S. Bechtel (d. 2007)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2007 Mar 5 p. 13

Birth date:

DOROTHEA S. RAY

Dorothea S. (Bechtel) Ray of Souderton, Pa., formerly of Spring City, Pa., and Harrisonburg, Va., died Feb. 21, 2007, in Grand View Hospital, Sellersville. She was born to Irene (Souder) Bechtel and Norman H. Bechtel in Phoenixville. She was married to Kenneth M. Ray Jr.

She graduated from Christopher Dock Mennonite High School in Lansdale and attended Eastern Mennonite College, Harrisonburg, Va. She worked for Pella Windows as office/mail manager, as an administrative assistant at Shenandoah Valley Preparatory Music Program and was office coordinator at Community Mennonite Church, both in Harrisonburg. She was also general manager at World Culture Open in New York City, and administrative assistant and financial bookkeeper at the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. She also worked at Liberty Thrift Store, Collegeville.

She was a member of Souderton (Pa.) Mennonite Church and Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Church of North Wales and a former member of Vincent Mennonite Church in Spring City.

Survivors include her husband, Kenneth M. Ray Jr; her mother, Irene; four children, Michael Eckman and his wife, Cathy, of Atglen, Clinton Holmes and his wife, Tabitha, of Lititz, Elaine Holmes of Reading, and Johanna Mearns and her husband, Richard, of McLeansville, N.C.; three stepchildren, Jennifer Ray of Philadelphia, Kathryn Ray of Phoenixville and Eleanor Ray of Scotland; six siblings, Geraldine Hardison of Little Rock, Ark., Eleanor Fuhrman of Hanover, Wilmer Bechtel of Estacada, Ore., Lois Shank Gerber of Lititz, Lorraine Sayre of Navarre, Ohio, and Doris Kolesar Schmehl of Wyomis-sing; and six grandchildren

She was preceded in death by a brother, Harold Bechtel.

Funeral services were held at Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Church and at Vincent Mennonite Church, Spring City. Burial was in Vincent Mennonite Church Cemetery.