Thomas Ray Clancy

Thomas Ray Clancy, of Farmersville, passed away on Monday, April 6, 2009, at his residence, at age 89. Visitation will be at the Groesbeck Funeral Home from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon on Friday, April 10, 2009. Services will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Friday, April 10, 2009, at the Word of Life Family Worship Center, with Pastor Randy Ayres and Marty Clancy officiating. Burial will follow at Faulkenberry Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Greg Gregory, Johnny Bates, Jerry Hyden, Roger Meester, Cuyler Lanier, David Clancy, Jonathan Clancy, and Chad Clancy. Thomas Ray was born May 13, 1919 at Box Church to L. B. “Wren” Clancy and Nancy Jane (Powell) Clancy. As the youngest child of thirteen siblings, he was lovingly called “Son” all his life, and in fact, still called “Uncle Son” by nieces and nephews. He grew up and graduated from school in Groesbeck. Thomas served in World War II in the U. S. Army, from 1943 through 1945, primarily in China, India, and Burma. He was united in marriage with Willie Ruth “Billie” Bates on August 25, 1948 in Lubbock. He worked in west Texas as an independent distributor for the Borden Milk Company for twenty years, and raised his family in Lamesa. Ray was always a “people” person, who loved meeting new people and just being among people in general. He loved to take the family on extensive vacation trips. When he decided to go into the ministry, he and his wife moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he served as a non-denominational minister for about fifteen years. In 1993, they moved back to Greenville, Texas. He especially loved all sports, and avidly followed his children’s sporting events, then his grandchildren’s games, and always followed all sports on T.V. He was talking about his choices in the basketball playoffs the week before his death. Ray was preceded in death by his parents and all thirteen brothers and sisters. His wife, “Billie” passed away on February 9, 2005. He is survived by a daughter, Charlotte Meester and her husband Roger of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas; a son, Marty Clancy and his wife Jan, of Antioch, Tennessee; and a son, Chad Clancy, of Garland, Texas; granddaughter, Brittany Meester of Fair Oaks Ranch, TX; grandson, Jonathan Clancy and wife Hilary Clancy of Murfreesboro, TN; granddaughter, Christa Lanier and husband Cuyler of Murfreesboro, TN; and grandson, Jason Willis and wife Anllelina of Pensacola, Florida; and three great-grandchildren, Claire Clancy of Murfreesboro, TN, Alyssa Lanier of Murfreesboro, TN, and Alexander Willis of Pensacola, Florida.