Obituary of Arthur Raymond Dring

Arthur Raymond Dring, 94, passed away on Monday, May 26, 2014. He is preceded in death by his parents, George and Elsie Dring; his loving wife, Ruby Dring; and brother, Gordon Dring. Ray is survived by his daughters, Rae Ann Wilson and husband, Harry; Linda Zeller and husband, Kurt; grandchildren, Todd Miller, Tiffany Yould and husband, Andrew, Amber Hamilton, Stephanie Zeller, Emily Zeller, and Amy Zeller; great grandchildren, Mason, Ella Ann, Marshall, Alyssa, Emma, Jackson, Ava and LilyGrace; and a host of other family and friends. Ray was born on February 12, 1920 in Peekskill, New York. He led quite an extraordinary life. As a young man he worked as a stock broker runner on Wall Street. He was drafted at the beginning of WWII and was posted to Camp Brownwood, in Brownwood, Texas where he met and wed the love of his life, Ruby Keith Dring. He learned the art of cooking at Camp Brownwood. Ray was deployed to the European Theater as part of the 14th Armored Division where he served as a Technical Sergeant with a Forward Maintenance Unit. This Unit repaired tanks and large trucks on the front, and the Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for performance on the drive to Germany. With the war ending, Ray began working as a harbor tugboat deckhand for G&H Towing Company in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was continually promoted and ultimately became the captain of the tugs Atlas and the Philip K. The Philip K was the premier tug on the Gulf Coast at the time and was noted for its technological advances in power and control. He served in that capacity for almost 40 years, and was repeatedly recognized for his expertise and knowledge in ship handling and stellar safety record. Ray and Ruby were happily married for 36 years, and raised their two adopted daughters in Aransas Pass, Texas. They were very active in their church and enjoyed playing “42,” canning fresh fruits and vegetables, cooking wonderful dinners, attending Little Theater productions and family reunions. Ray cherished spending time with his family and was affectionately known to his grandchildren as “Paw Paw.” The centerpiece of Ray’s life was his devotion to family and faith and was known as a loyal friend. With God’s grace, Ray truly made the world a better place and will be missed beyond measure by all who knew him. A visitation and funeral service for Ray will take place on Thursday, May 29, 2014 at the Friendswood United Methodist Church, 110 N. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, Texas 77546. The visitation will begin at 1:00 pm, and the service will follow at 2:00 pm with Pastor Rosemary Dubois officiating. Interment with full military honors will be held on Saturday, May 31, 2014 at 11:00 am at Cavaness Cemetery in Mason, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the South Texas Children’s Home in Beeville, Texas or at www.stchm.org.