Ray Kent, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend, was born on February 7, 1939, in Delta City, Mississippi. He went home to be with the Lord on January 9, 2026.

Ray was the son of Stannie Austin Kent and Jimmy Lou Morgan Kent, both of whom preceded him in death. He grew up in the Mississippi Delta and graduated from Anguilla High School, where he played multiple sports and especially excelled in basketball.

Following high school, Ray took a short break before continuing his education, working for Western Auto and later at Peyton Appliance both in Hollandale. He went on to attend Mississippi Delta Junior College — Go Head, MoHead — where he met the love of his life, Carolyn Roberts. The two shared 64 wonderful years of marriage, building a life rooted in faith, family, and laughter.

Ray's career with MP&L brought the family to Clinton, Mississippi, where he lived for the next 57 years. During that time, he became deeply involved in the Clinton community and his church family. He retired from Packard Electric at 55 years old then was given an opportunity he couldn't refuse to move to El Paso, Tx for the long stent of 18 months before returning to his earthly forever home in Clinton, MS.

An avid outdoorsman, Ray found great joy in hunting, fishing, and gardening. After Carolyn, his greatest passion was rabbit hunting, especially listening to his beloved beagles trail mostly rabbits—and occasionally deer—through the woods. Ray was a natural storyteller, and his tales of rabbit hunts, school days, and general shenanigans are legendary among family and friends. Fan-favorite stories included taking his mother to the doctor, Mrs. Whitworth, the politician and the gnats, and sampling unattended apple pies with Ike Tyre, just to name a few.

Ray was a faithful member of Morrison Heights Baptist Church for more than 50 years. He taught Sunday School, briefly sang with the Joyful Noise Boys, and was well known for challenging just about every Sunday School teacher and preacher—always with sincerity, humor, and a love for Scripture.

In addition to his parents, Ray was preceded in death by his sister, Loraine "Shine" Tucker; his brothers, James Austin "Bub" Kent and Charles Lamar "Rusty" Kent.

He is survived by his devoted wife, Carolyn Roberts Kent; his sister, Margie Cooper of Glen Allen, MS; his daughter, Angelia "Angie" Kent Lambert and her husband, Richard "Rich" Lambert; his son, Ray "Randy" L Kent, Jr. and his wife, Suzanne Kent; his grandchildren, Morgan Proctor and her husband, Jacob Proctor; Kaitlin Franks and her husband, Michael Franks; and his grandson, Ray L. "Trey" Kent III. The apples of his eye were his great-granddaughters, Carson Rae Proctor and Clarke Lane Proctor.