William Ray Boatright

July 13, 1926 - February 28, 2018

BOATRIGHT, William Ray, 91, of Springfield, Missouri, went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on February 28, 2018. He was born in 1926 in Desloge, Missouri, and spent his early childhood growing up in rural Missouri during the Great Depression. Bill attended a one-room school in Avon, Missouri, and later attended high school in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Bill was a member of the “Greatest Generation” and a veteran of World War II. He was inducted into the US Army in 1944 and served his country proudly as a Field Lineman Sergeant with the 102nd Infantry Division in Europe. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 1946. After the war, in 1947, Bill married Betty Mae Herzog, built a home on his father’s farm in St. Francois County, Missouri, and started a family, raising two sons and a daughter. Bill loved flying and with the help of the G.I. bill, he received his private pilot’s license. He started his career working in the lead mining industry with St. Joe Lead Company – first working underground, but after qualifying as a machinist, he began working in the machine shop at St. Joe Bonne Terre mines. He had a brilliant mind for mechanics and quickly became a shop foreman. In 1965, Bill moved his family to Salem, Missouri, to begin his new position as Shop and Maintenance Foreman for the newly formed St. Joe Fletcher mines. He finished his career with St. Joe Lead Company, retiring in 1983 to care for his aging parents. During retirement years, he and his wife, Betty, enjoyed many years traveling the USA in their motor home. In more recent years, and until his passing, Bill and Betty lived in Springfield, Missouri, near their daughter. Bill was a devout Christian and his faith in Jesus Christ was evident in the way he lived his life. He was devoted to his family and a willing worker and member of Chestnut Ridge Missionary Baptist Church near Farmington, Missouri; First Baptist Church of Salem; and until his passing, a member of South Gate Baptist Church in Springfield, where he and Betty formed many cherished friendships. He is preceded in death by his father, James Boatright; mother, Leoma Decker Boatright; sister, Betty Lynn McClanahan (Milton); and brothers, Horace Boatright (Ellen) and Dale Boatright (Rose Marie). He is survived by his loving wife of 70 years, Betty Mae (Herzog) Boatright; two sons, Ronald Wayne Boatright (Marian) and Kenneth Ray Boatright (Ada); daughter, Debra Ann Boatright Dent (Ron); five grandchildren, Chris Boatright (Olga), James Boatright (Caitlin), Ryan Boatright (Caroline), Micah Dent and Dustin Dent; two great-grand children, Nikola Boatright and Malo Boatright; two sisters, Mary Ann Martin (John) and LaDon Cluck (Terry); and numerous nieces and nephews. A celebration of Bill’s life will be held at 10:00 AM on Monday, March 5, at James & Gahr Mortuary, 103 W. Center Street, Salem MO. Following the service, at 3:00 PM, Bill will be laid to rest with full military honors at Chestnut Ridge Cemetery, Farmington, MO. Visitation for family and friends will be held from 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Sunday March 4, 2018, at James & Gahr, Salem. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Greene County Baptist Association (designated for Grand Oak Food Pantry), 834 W. Battlefield, Springfield, MO 65807; or to Samaritan’s Purse