Ray B. White went home to be with the Lord on Thursday morning, May 7, 2026, at the age of 92.

Ray was born in McAlester, Oklahoma, on October 12, 1933, to Joe and Della White. He graduated from McAlester High School in 1951, where he met the love of his life, Charlene Walling, a trick rider. Ray and Charlene married in 1953 and welcomed their first child, Robert Joe “Bob,” in 1954.

Ray worked as a mechanic alongside his dad at White’s Garage until he decided he wanted more for his family and moved to California. There, he took a job with Standard Oil of California at the Richmond Refinery. This marked the beginning of a long and successful career that took him from utility worker and operator to Safety Engineer with Chevron, working out of their San Francisco office. His career allowed him to travel extensively, taking him to Frankfurt, Germany, Kazakhstan, and all across the United States for weeks and months at a time.

Ray always said he went as far as he could with “just a high school education,” but everyone who knew him knew he was far smarter than any degree could have made him. He enlisted in the Navy Reserves seven months before his 18th birthday by lying about his age. As a result, he was made to serve every extra day as punishment for that lie, and he never lied again.

Not too long after he began working at Standard Oil, Donald Ray was born. To make ends meet, Ray took on two, and at one time three, separate jobs. Three years later, Ronald Dean was born, and four years after that, Glenn Alan was born. After having four boys, Ray and Charlene accepted that a daughter was not part of God’s plan.

Ray lived in Richmond, San Pablo, Fairfield, and Vacaville before moving to Penn Valley, California, in 1987, where he spent the remainder of his life. Until he could no longer drive, he was an active member of Penn Valley Community Church, serving as an elder for many years and doing whatever needed to be done. Whether mowing the lawns, setting up chairs, greeting parishioners, or making sure the coffee pot was full before Sunday services, Ray simply wanted to serve the Lord in whatever capacity was needed.

He accepted the Lord as a youngster and lived his life accordingly. Up until the day of his passing, Ray knew where he was going, and he was looking forward to it.

Ray is survived by his wife of 72 years, Charlene; his sons Bob and his wife Maryann, Don and his wife Tami, Ron and his wife Marjan, and Glenn and his girlfriend Beth; his grandchildren Tammi Stout, Bill White, Robert White, Clinton White, Jenny Magiara, and Trevor White; his great grandchildren Julia, Allysa, Joeb, Cassidy, Isaiah, Bella, Joshua, Judah, and Esther; and his great, great grandchildren Paisley, Dawson, Madeline, Eleanor, Nikki, and Ivy. He is also survived by his cousin Barbara Palmer; his nephew Robert Wallace; and his nieces Carol Ann Wallace and Gerry Seeley.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Della; his brother Leonard; and his half-brother Joe