Son of Tom and Lula(Barber) Bray. Married Flora Margaret Hyden Dec 22, 1919 officiated by J.C. Barber, possibly a relative of the groom. Was the father of seven children and father image of many including myself whom he raised from nine months old till I got married.
His early life had been spent in Hail, KY and different areas of Pulaski County KY. I have many fond memories of living with he and my grandmother as she managed a tourist camp in the 40's just outside of Somerset by the name of OaK Leaf Tourist Camp owned by a man named Logan Wilson who lived in another KY city. We lived in a two story log house on same property. However we only occupied the lower level. The owner had collected antiques and stored those in the upstairs. We were never allowed to go up and explore that. I know I often wondered what was there but as of that era we had respect for rules and never disobeyed the ones we knew were highest importance. this also had a couple free standing houses occupied by other family members one of his daughters Geneva Woodall and her 3 children while her husband was serving in the war, one of the three children, Billy Woodall was born in the home (remember the day well because we children were ushered across highway 27 to a neighbors home) also one of my grandfather's sisters, Bertha Thrasher, her husband, daughter, Doris, and her children while her husband was serving during the war lived in the other house. These homes was said to have a documented connection to an outlaw by name of Jesse James.
He left that area to move to Indiana to seek better employment where he resided until retiring to FL. He was a master finish carpenter, building and remodeling, many homes, churches and funeral homes. A few years before his death he returned to Somerset KY, the home of his family roots. He loved being in the hills and the slower pace of life. He was proud of what a tourist area it had become. I remember being with him as a child before Cumberland Lake and Park was a vacation destination...up on one of those hills talking to relatives; everyone trying to figure out how this tunnel was going to be after the water had filled it and how the trains or cars would be diverted. We weren't engineers and could not comprehend how it could change the area to be more beautiful..but it did and now it is a very lucrative vacation spot. Grandpa lived long enough to see the beginning and quite a bit of the changes...he would have been shocked and proud to see the increase in tourist now.
He had been a Christian most of his life. His relationship with God and reading his Bible daily meant so much to him. I remember seeing him read Proverbs so many times. We can learn so many things about living life thru reading PROVERBS...15:1 is one I think shows grandpas sweet spirit, "a soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger", I try very hard to remember those words when someone has hurt me and ignore the action rather than lash back. Grandpa loved so many things; his family, to sing religious songs, play french harp, garden and fish. We had the most fun when we would visit with his brothers and their families in Lebanon, IN. They would all be singing and playing some kind of musical instrument, be it spoons, saws, kids instruments, or piano whatever was handy. One of his brothers was a minister so the visits were always uplifting. He just loved visiting with EVERYONE. I remember grandma sending him to the store for something that she needed for preparation of a meal and he would be gone for hours (just found someone to talk to). Our son was his first great-grandchild and I see the same characteristics in him. He loved telling clean jokes, had a great sense of humor ***note the one picture of him with his cousins looking like gangsters*** that is an example of the things in his early years he would do for fun. I remember the way he would laugh and slap his leg over a joke. Red Skelton and Gunsmoke were his favorite shows. Grandpa just loved life...wish we could have had him longer than his 73 years. His heart gave out on him.....maybe because he gave so much of it away. We all strive to be like him tho now in our lives. He had been a Baptist most of his life..attending Baptist and Nazarene churches.
He was truly an example of what a "Christlike" person should have been. To know him was to love him.
I loved being with him..he used to take me fishing and visiting older relatives ..just the two of us. A lot of the time we didn't have to talk..I felt just being close to him was enough..I like to think he felt the same. I believe he felt that way about ALL his grandchildren I was just fortunate enough to be with him more.
He was loved by everyone who knew him. He was survived by his wife, Flora(Hyden)Bray; sons, Harlen Columbus Bray, Tom, and Herbert Hoover Bray; two daughters,Dovey (Lois) Vasconcellous, & Geneva Woodall; one brother, Leonard Bray and one sister Bertha B.(Bray) Thrasher; several grand and great-grandchildren.
I challenge all who follow this wonderful man to do their best to live up to his spiritual, moral and work standards in their lives..I know he was not perfect, ..(there has only been ONE PERFECT ONE we all know who HE is) ..but I fail to remember my grandfather's imperfections.
He was preceded in death by sons; Jackie Byron Bray & Harold Bray, parents; Thomas Bray & Lula(Barber)Bray; sister Julia Isabell(Bray)Dykes; and brother, Rev. Ester T. Bray.
Information taken from my memories of my grandfather, who had always been a father to me.
"Always a silent hurt, many a silent tear, but always a beautiful memory of one we loved so dear.
God gave us strength to bear it, and courage to take the blow, but what it meant to lose you.....no one will ever know." (Author unknown)
~ Those we love don't go away, They walk beside us every day, Unseen, unheard, but always near, Still loved, still missed and very dear ~
THANK YOU SHARON FOR POSTING THAT CUTE LITTLE PICTURE OF ME AND GRANDPA...I LOVED HIM SO MUCH! STILL DO and miss him all the time. His death impacted me more than any death I have experienced to this point in my life & made me want to live my life to be able to be reunited again in Heaven with this wonderful Christian man.
His early life had been spent in Hail, KY and different areas of Pulaski County KY. I have many fond memories of living with he and my grandmother as she managed a tourist camp in the 40's just outside of Somerset by the name of OaK Leaf Tourist Camp owned by a man named Logan Wilson who lived in another KY city. We lived in a two story log house on same property. However we only occupied the lower level. The owner had collected antiques and stored those in the upstairs. We were never allowed to go up and explore that. I know I often wondered what was there but as of that era we had respect for rules and never disobeyed the ones we knew were highest importance. this also had a couple free standing houses occupied by other family members one of his daughters Geneva Woodall and her 3 children while her husband was serving in the war, one of the three children, Billy Woodall was born in the home (remember the day well because we children were ushered across highway 27 to a neighbors home) also one of my grandfather's sisters, Bertha Thrasher, her husband, daughter, Doris, and her children while her husband was serving during the war lived in the other house. These homes was said to have a documented connection to an outlaw by name of Jesse James.
He left that area to move to Indiana to seek better employment where he resided until retiring to FL. He was a master finish carpenter, building and remodeling, many homes, churches and funeral homes. A few years before his death he returned to Somerset KY, the home of his family roots. He loved being in the hills and the slower pace of life. He was proud of what a tourist area it had become. I remember being with him as a child before Cumberland Lake and Park was a vacation destination...up on one of those hills talking to relatives; everyone trying to figure out how this tunnel was going to be after the water had filled it and how the trains or cars would be diverted. We weren't engineers and could not comprehend how it could change the area to be more beautiful..but it did and now it is a very lucrative vacation spot. Grandpa lived long enough to see the beginning and quite a bit of the changes...he would have been shocked and proud to see the increase in tourist now.
He had been a Christian most of his life. His relationship with God and reading his Bible daily meant so much to him. I remember seeing him read Proverbs so many times. We can learn so many things about living life thru reading PROVERBS...15:1 is one I think shows grandpas sweet spirit, "a soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger", I try very hard to remember those words when someone has hurt me and ignore the action rather than lash back. Grandpa loved so many things; his family, to sing religious songs, play french harp, garden and fish. We had the most fun when we would visit with his brothers and their families in Lebanon, IN. They would all be singing and playing some kind of musical instrument, be it spoons, saws, kids instruments, or piano whatever was handy. One of his brothers was a minister so the visits were always uplifting. He just loved visiting with EVERYONE. I remember grandma sending him to the store for something that she needed for preparation of a meal and he would be gone for hours (just found someone to talk to). Our son was his first great-grandchild and I see the same characteristics in him. He loved telling clean jokes, had a great sense of humor ***note the one picture of him with his cousins looking like gangsters*** that is an example of the things in his early years he would do for fun. I remember the way he would laugh and slap his leg over a joke. Red Skelton and Gunsmoke were his favorite shows. Grandpa just loved life...wish we could have had him longer than his 73 years. His heart gave out on him.....maybe because he gave so much of it away. We all strive to be like him tho now in our lives. He had been a Baptist most of his life..attending Baptist and Nazarene churches.
He was truly an example of what a "Christlike" person should have been. To know him was to love him.
I loved being with him..he used to take me fishing and visiting older relatives ..just the two of us. A lot of the time we didn't have to talk..I felt just being close to him was enough..I like to think he felt the same. I believe he felt that way about ALL his grandchildren I was just fortunate enough to be with him more.
He was loved by everyone who knew him. He was survived by his wife, Flora(Hyden)Bray; sons, Harlen Columbus Bray, Tom, and Herbert Hoover Bray; two daughters,Dovey (Lois) Vasconcellous, & Geneva Woodall; one brother, Leonard Bray and one sister Bertha B.(Bray) Thrasher; several grand and great-grandchildren.
I challenge all who follow this wonderful man to do their best to live up to his spiritual, moral and work standards in their lives..I know he was not perfect, ..(there has only been ONE PERFECT ONE we all know who HE is) ..but I fail to remember my grandfather's imperfections.
He was preceded in death by sons; Jackie Byron Bray & Harold Bray, parents; Thomas Bray & Lula(Barber)Bray; sister Julia Isabell(Bray)Dykes; and brother, Rev. Ester T. Bray.
Information taken from my memories of my grandfather, who had always been a father to me.
"Always a silent hurt, many a silent tear, but always a beautiful memory of one we loved so dear.
God gave us strength to bear it, and courage to take the blow, but what it meant to lose you.....no one will ever know." (Author unknown)
~ Those we love don't go away, They walk beside us every day, Unseen, unheard, but always near, Still loved, still missed and very dear ~
THANK YOU SHARON FOR POSTING THAT CUTE LITTLE PICTURE OF ME AND GRANDPA...I LOVED HIM SO MUCH! STILL DO and miss him all the time. His death impacted me more than any death I have experienced to this point in my life & made me want to live my life to be able to be reunited again in Heaven with this wonderful Christian man.
Son of Tom and Lula(Barber) Bray. Married Flora Margaret Hyden Dec 22, 1919 officiated by J.C. Barber, possibly a relative of the groom. Was the father of seven children and father image of many including myself whom he raised from nine months old till I got married.
His early life had been spent in Hail, KY and different areas of Pulaski County KY. I have many fond memories of living with he and my grandmother as she managed a tourist camp in the 40's just outside of Somerset by the name of OaK Leaf Tourist Camp owned by a man named Logan Wilson who lived in another KY city. We lived in a two story log house on same property. However we only occupied the lower level. The owner had collected antiques and stored those in the upstairs. We were never allowed to go up and explore that. I know I often wondered what was there but as of that era we had respect for rules and never disobeyed the ones we knew were highest importance. this also had a couple free standing houses occupied by other family members one of his daughters Geneva Woodall and her 3 children while her husband was serving in the war, one of the three children, Billy Woodall was born in the home (remember the day well because we children were ushered across highway 27 to a neighbors home) also one of my grandfather's sisters, Bertha Thrasher, her husband, daughter, Doris, and her children while her husband was serving during the war lived in the other house. These homes was said to have a documented connection to an outlaw by name of Jesse James.
He left that area to move to Indiana to seek better employment where he resided until retiring to FL. He was a master finish carpenter, building and remodeling, many homes, churches and funeral homes. A few years before his death he returned to Somerset KY, the home of his family roots. He loved being in the hills and the slower pace of life. He was proud of what a tourist area it had become. I remember being with him as a child before Cumberland Lake and Park was a vacation destination...up on one of those hills talking to relatives; everyone trying to figure out how this tunnel was going to be after the water had filled it and how the trains or cars would be diverted. We weren't engineers and could not comprehend how it could change the area to be more beautiful..but it did and now it is a very lucrative vacation spot. Grandpa lived long enough to see the beginning and quite a bit of the changes...he would have been shocked and proud to see the increase in tourist now.
He had been a Christian most of his life. His relationship with God and reading his Bible daily meant so much to him. I remember seeing him read Proverbs so many times. We can learn so many things about living life thru reading PROVERBS...15:1 is one I think shows grandpas sweet spirit, "a soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger", I try very hard to remember those words when someone has hurt me and ignore the action rather than lash back. Grandpa loved so many things; his family, to sing religious songs, play french harp, garden and fish. We had the most fun when we would visit with his brothers and their families in Lebanon, IN. They would all be singing and playing some kind of musical instrument, be it spoons, saws, kids instruments, or piano whatever was handy. One of his brothers was a minister so the visits were always uplifting. He just loved visiting with EVERYONE. I remember grandma sending him to the store for something that she needed for preparation of a meal and he would be gone for hours (just found someone to talk to). Our son was his first great-grandchild and I see the same characteristics in him. He loved telling clean jokes, had a great sense of humor ***note the one picture of him with his cousins looking like gangsters*** that is an example of the things in his early years he would do for fun. I remember the way he would laugh and slap his leg over a joke. Red Skelton and Gunsmoke were his favorite shows. Grandpa just loved life...wish we could have had him longer than his 73 years. His heart gave out on him.....maybe because he gave so much of it away. We all strive to be like him tho now in our lives. He had been a Baptist most of his life..attending Baptist and Nazarene churches.
He was truly an example of what a "Christlike" person should have been. To know him was to love him.
I loved being with him..he used to take me fishing and visiting older relatives ..just the two of us. A lot of the time we didn't have to talk..I felt just being close to him was enough..I like to think he felt the same. I believe he felt that way about ALL his grandchildren I was just fortunate enough to be with him more.
He was loved by everyone who knew him. He was survived by his wife, Flora(Hyden)Bray; sons, Harlen Columbus Bray, Tom, and Herbert Hoover Bray; two daughters,Dovey (Lois) Vasconcellous, & Geneva Woodall; one brother, Leonard Bray and one sister Bertha B.(Bray) Thrasher; several grand and great-grandchildren.
I challenge all who follow this wonderful man to do their best to live up to his spiritual, moral and work standards in their lives..I know he was not perfect, ..(there has only been ONE PERFECT ONE we all know who HE is) ..but I fail to remember my grandfather's imperfections.
He was preceded in death by sons; Jackie Byron Bray & Harold Bray, parents; Thomas Bray & Lula(Barber)Bray; sister Julia Isabell(Bray)Dykes; and brother, Rev. Ester T. Bray.
Information taken from my memories of my grandfather, who had always been a father to me.
"Always a silent hurt, many a silent tear, but always a beautiful memory of one we loved so dear.
God gave us strength to bear it, and courage to take the blow, but what it meant to lose you.....no one will ever know." (Author unknown)
~ Those we love don't go away, They walk beside us every day, Unseen, unheard, but always near, Still loved, still missed and very dear ~
THANK YOU SHARON FOR POSTING THAT CUTE LITTLE PICTURE OF ME AND GRANDPA...I LOVED HIM SO MUCH! STILL DO and miss him all the time. His death impacted me more than any death I have experienced to this point in my life & made me want to live my life to be able to be reunited again in Heaven with this wonderful Christian man.
His early life had been spent in Hail, KY and different areas of Pulaski County KY. I have many fond memories of living with he and my grandmother as she managed a tourist camp in the 40's just outside of Somerset by the name of OaK Leaf Tourist Camp owned by a man named Logan Wilson who lived in another KY city. We lived in a two story log house on same property. However we only occupied the lower level. The owner had collected antiques and stored those in the upstairs. We were never allowed to go up and explore that. I know I often wondered what was there but as of that era we had respect for rules and never disobeyed the ones we knew were highest importance. this also had a couple free standing houses occupied by other family members one of his daughters Geneva Woodall and her 3 children while her husband was serving in the war, one of the three children, Billy Woodall was born in the home (remember the day well because we children were ushered across highway 27 to a neighbors home) also one of my grandfather's sisters, Bertha Thrasher, her husband, daughter, Doris, and her children while her husband was serving during the war lived in the other house. These homes was said to have a documented connection to an outlaw by name of Jesse James.
He left that area to move to Indiana to seek better employment where he resided until retiring to FL. He was a master finish carpenter, building and remodeling, many homes, churches and funeral homes. A few years before his death he returned to Somerset KY, the home of his family roots. He loved being in the hills and the slower pace of life. He was proud of what a tourist area it had become. I remember being with him as a child before Cumberland Lake and Park was a vacation destination...up on one of those hills talking to relatives; everyone trying to figure out how this tunnel was going to be after the water had filled it and how the trains or cars would be diverted. We weren't engineers and could not comprehend how it could change the area to be more beautiful..but it did and now it is a very lucrative vacation spot. Grandpa lived long enough to see the beginning and quite a bit of the changes...he would have been shocked and proud to see the increase in tourist now.
He had been a Christian most of his life. His relationship with God and reading his Bible daily meant so much to him. I remember seeing him read Proverbs so many times. We can learn so many things about living life thru reading PROVERBS...15:1 is one I think shows grandpas sweet spirit, "a soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger", I try very hard to remember those words when someone has hurt me and ignore the action rather than lash back. Grandpa loved so many things; his family, to sing religious songs, play french harp, garden and fish. We had the most fun when we would visit with his brothers and their families in Lebanon, IN. They would all be singing and playing some kind of musical instrument, be it spoons, saws, kids instruments, or piano whatever was handy. One of his brothers was a minister so the visits were always uplifting. He just loved visiting with EVERYONE. I remember grandma sending him to the store for something that she needed for preparation of a meal and he would be gone for hours (just found someone to talk to). Our son was his first great-grandchild and I see the same characteristics in him. He loved telling clean jokes, had a great sense of humor ***note the one picture of him with his cousins looking like gangsters*** that is an example of the things in his early years he would do for fun. I remember the way he would laugh and slap his leg over a joke. Red Skelton and Gunsmoke were his favorite shows. Grandpa just loved life...wish we could have had him longer than his 73 years. His heart gave out on him.....maybe because he gave so much of it away. We all strive to be like him tho now in our lives. He had been a Baptist most of his life..attending Baptist and Nazarene churches.
He was truly an example of what a "Christlike" person should have been. To know him was to love him.
I loved being with him..he used to take me fishing and visiting older relatives ..just the two of us. A lot of the time we didn't have to talk..I felt just being close to him was enough..I like to think he felt the same. I believe he felt that way about ALL his grandchildren I was just fortunate enough to be with him more.
He was loved by everyone who knew him. He was survived by his wife, Flora(Hyden)Bray; sons, Harlen Columbus Bray, Tom, and Herbert Hoover Bray; two daughters,Dovey (Lois) Vasconcellous, & Geneva Woodall; one brother, Leonard Bray and one sister Bertha B.(Bray) Thrasher; several grand and great-grandchildren.
I challenge all who follow this wonderful man to do their best to live up to his spiritual, moral and work standards in their lives..I know he was not perfect, ..(there has only been ONE PERFECT ONE we all know who HE is) ..but I fail to remember my grandfather's imperfections.
He was preceded in death by sons; Jackie Byron Bray & Harold Bray, parents; Thomas Bray & Lula(Barber)Bray; sister Julia Isabell(Bray)Dykes; and brother, Rev. Ester T. Bray.
Information taken from my memories of my grandfather, who had always been a father to me.
"Always a silent hurt, many a silent tear, but always a beautiful memory of one we loved so dear.
God gave us strength to bear it, and courage to take the blow, but what it meant to lose you.....no one will ever know." (Author unknown)
~ Those we love don't go away, They walk beside us every day, Unseen, unheard, but always near, Still loved, still missed and very dear ~
THANK YOU SHARON FOR POSTING THAT CUTE LITTLE PICTURE OF ME AND GRANDPA...I LOVED HIM SO MUCH! STILL DO and miss him all the time. His death impacted me more than any death I have experienced to this point in my life & made me want to live my life to be able to be reunited again in Heaven with this wonderful Christian man.
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