Nathan Edward Ray

Nathan Edward Ray, beloved son of David Eugene Ray and Janis Laraine Ray, passed away unexpectantly of natural causes, and was laid to rest by his family at Athens Memorial Gardens on January 23rd, 2026. Nathan, a resident of Winder, Georgia, was 38 years old and born on September 18th, 1987, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Nathan placed his faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior as a child and was baptized at the age of ten in 1998. He loved to worship and was always ready to boldly share his faith and hope with others.

Nathan loved nature and animals of all kinds. He enjoyed hiking and fishing. As a young teenager, he volunteered on Saturdays with a group that did rescue, foster care, and adoption of dogs and cats. He also participated in equine therapy, horsemanship classes, and spent a summer as a daily volunteer at a horse farm in Cherokee county.

As a middle schooler, he won state in his age group in kata in Karate. He also took classes in Judo, participated in weightlifting, flag football, and golf. He enjoyed listening to music, going to concerts, writing his own songs, singing karaoke, playing his bongos, and gaming.

In addition to his parents, Nathan is survived by his four siblings: Jenny Grace Jones, Jonathan Freeman Ray, Isaac David Ray, and Micah Joseph Ray. He is also survived by his grandparents, Martha Joan Morgan and James Howard Morgan, as well as his brother-in-law, Caleb Ross Jones, and sister-in- law, Elizabeth Diane Ray, along with four nieces, a nephew, aunts, uncles, and multiple cousins.

A memorial service with reception to follow will be held at 11:30 am in the chapel of Lord and Stephens Funeral Home in Watkinsville, Georgia on Saturday, February 14th, 2026. Since the burial has already taken place, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made by check to Hope Pregnancy Resource Center. P.O. Box 727 Commerce, GA 30527, or electronically by PayPal at hopeprccommerce@gmail.com

Lord and Stephens Funeral Home, West, Watkinsville, Georgia is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com