Obituary of Myron Ray McCully

Myron Ray McCully, 83, of Moberly, passed away at his home on April 16, 2015, after a prolonged battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Ray was born December 25, 1931 in Chillicothe, MO, where he lived until December 1945 when he moved to Moberly with his parents, Klova and Virginia McCully. He attended Chillicothe, MO High School and graduated from the lower division of Moberly Area Junior College in 1949. He was a member of the National Guard Company C, 175 MP BN that was activated September 11, 1950 and he served until June 12, 1952. While serving in Germany as part of the occupations forces, he graduated from the Non-commissioned Officers Academy in Stuttgart, Germany. Ray married Melba Lorraine Sims, his high school sweetheart and the daughter of Howard and Dean Sims on August 27, 1950. Their twins were born in October of 1951 while Ray was serving as a military police officer in Germany. In 1951 Ray joined his father in business at L and M Auto Parts. He became a partner in 1961 and operated that enterprise until his retirement in 1993. Ray was a devoted son, husband, and father. He maintained solid relationships with his parents, in-laws, spouse and children. Ray served as care giver for aging parents and relatives. He was very involved with his children and grandchildren. Ray visited them often and made sure to be present for all major events such as performances, award ceremonies, graduations, and weddings. Ray’s family has never wondered if they were loved. Ray was a charter member of Timber Lake Christian Church (formerly Union Avenue Christian Church) and served in many capacities, including Sunday School teacher, Sunday School Superintendent, Youth Group Sponsor, Deacon, and Elder. The gospel of Jesus Christ was an important part of his life and even during his battle with cancer he regularly attended Timberlake Christian Church and was an active participant in his “Care Group”. Ray was a committed member of the Moberly community. He was a long time member of the Moberly Rotary Club serving as president in 1974-1975. The Paul Harris Fellowship Award was made possible for him by the generosity of his wife and parents in Ray’s name to the Rotary International’s fund for educating students in foreign countries. He was a member of the Moberly Area Chamber of Commerce and served as president 1972-1973. Under his leadership, the awards program was initiated. He served as an Ambassador for the Moberly Area Chamber of Commerce until the time of his death. He served as a member of the Moberly Area Community College Foundation Board from 1999 until present. Ray was an enthusiastic participant in a variety of sports. He played baseball on a team with his uncles and father; bowled in several leagues at “Community Lanes”; was named to the Community Lanes Hall of Fame; was an avid golfer at Moberly Country Club (now Heritage Hills) where he was the Class A club champion in 1968. He had two holes in one. He served as president of the Moberly Country Club in 1981. Ray enjoyed exploring the world with Lorraine. Together they traveled extensively both internationally and domestically. They created many memorable moments on their sojourns. Ray is survived by his wife, Lorraine; his children Belinda (James) Wilucki of Kirkwood, MO and Melinda (John) Dull of Chesterfield, MO; his grandchildren Kyle Scherzer, Chesterfield, MO, Stacey Scherzer and husband Mark of Peoria, AZ, Kathy (Mark) Templeton and children Paisley and Graham of Oak Park, IL; Tim Dull of St. Louis, MO; Andy (Maxi) Dull and children Dana and Andrew of Burlingame, CA; Jeff (Carrie) Dull and children Bridget, Sean and Charlotte of San Jose, CA and Brian (Sarah) Dull and children Max, Will and Jack of Baldwin, MO; several nieces, nephews and cousins. Ray was preceded in death by his parents Klova and Virginia McCully. A memorial service celebrating Ray’s life will be held Friday, April 24, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at Pathway Memorial Funeral Home in Moberly with interment to follow at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville with full military honors. Visitation will be held Thursday, April 23, 2015 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Ray’s honor may be made to Timberlake Christian Church, Central Christian College of the Bible or Moberly Area Community College Foundation.