BIOGRAPHY

Julia Ray was born in Marion, North Carolina, USA, on 28 October 1914, to parents George B. Greenlee, Sr. and Elizabeth Johnson. She had two brothers: Bluford and George. She received her early education in North Carolina and New York City. Following the death of her mother when she was 14, she returned to North Carolina, where she attended McDowell County schools, Barber-Scotia College in Concord, and later the University of Pittsburgh. During her time in Asheville, she assisted her aunt, Josephine Robertson, a caterer and restaurateur. It was during one of these visits that she met Jesse G. Ray, Sr., whom she married in 1935. A licensed funeral director, she managed both the family funeral home and Ray’s Dry Cleaners while her husband worked as an embalmer for the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. Her husband passed away in 1994.

Ray became the first African American to serve on the Asheville YWCA Board of Directors, the first African American woman on the Board of Mission Hospital, and the first African American to serve on both the UNC Asheville Board of Trustees and the Advocacy Board of the NC Center for Creative Retirement. Her community involvement extended further as she served on the boards of The American Red Cross, the Nature Center, the YWCA, and the Asheville-Buncombe Library.

Ray was also a founding member of the YMI Goombay Festival and received numerous honors for her contributions, including an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from UNC Asheville in 2016. In recognition of her enduring legacy, the university renamed Hoey Hall to Ray Hall in 2022 and established a family-endowed scholarship in her honor. A devoted member of Calvary Presbyterian Church, she faithfully served her congregation in various capacities throughout her life.

Ray passed away in Asheville, North Carolina, on 17 December 2024, at the age of 110. She was survived by her children: Wilma Ray-Bledsoe, Jesse G. Ray, George William Ray, and Charles Ruben Ray, as well as nine grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

Her age was validated by LongeviQuest on 30 December 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Oct. 28 proclaimed as “Julia G. Ray Day” in celebration of living Asheville legend” – WLOS, 28 October 2021

* “Julia Ray Day: African American business pioneer gets birthday present in form of own day” – The Asheville Citizen Times, 28 October 2021

* “Mrs. Julia P. Greenlee Ray” – The Urban News, 12 May 2023

* Julia G. Ray – Ray Funeral and Cremation Service

GALLERY