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2002 SESSION

020815844
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 53
Offered January 9, 2002
Prefiled January 7, 2002
Celebrating the life of Mary Virginia Ray.
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Patron-- McQuigg
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WHEREAS, Mary Virginia Ray of Woodbridge, who combined intelligence, education, and hard work, and who experienced an astonishingly varied career, died on September 15, 2001; and

WHEREAS, a native of Essex County, Mary Ray, later known as Sister Ray, was educated in the public schools of Stafford County and the City of Fredericksburg; and

WHEREAS, after years of employment in the laundering and dry cleaning business, Mary Ray became a display manager for a dress shop in Arlington, then entered the federal work force in Washington, D.C., in 1955; and

WHEREAS, Mary Ray furthered her education with the federal government at the Transportation Safety Institute in Oklahoma and at the Northern Virginia Community College in Woodbridge; and

WHEREAS, after 30 years with the federal government, Mary Ray retired as a Highway Safety Management Specialist, and, at the age of 61, was accepted into the School of Paralegal Studies at the Professional Development Institute in Atlanta; and

WHEREAS, graduating with honors with a specialty in civil litigation, Mary Ray began yet another career with the Banks & Associates law firm in Woodbridge, simultaneously serving as a Prince William County school crossing guard; and

WHEREAS, a woman of apparently limitless energy and enthusiasm, Mary Ray was active in civic and political organizations, including the Prince William County branch of the NAACP; and

WHEREAS, married for more than 50 years to the pastor of the Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Woodbridge, Mary Ray served as president of the Deaconess Board and president of the Women's Auxiliary, where she was instrumental in establishing an annual achievements awards and scholarship program; and

WHEREAS, over the course of a long and exceedingly full life, Mary Ray succeeded in numerous careers, raised a family, and served her church and community with dedication and commitment; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly note with sadness the passing of an exceptional Virginian, Mary Virginia Ray; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Mary Virginia Ray as an expression of the respect in which her memory is held by the members of the General Assembly.