William DeVere RayWilliam DeVere Ray, age 82, of River Falls, WI
formerly of Sebastopol, CA passed away on Monday, August 20, 2018 at
Wellhaven Senior Living in River Falls, WI. He was born on April 1, 1936
in River Falls the eldest child of Marvin and Olivia (Bjork) Ray.  He
was a graduate of River Falls High School in 1956. On June 15, 1963 Bill
was united in marriage to Bernardine Hognestad in Sebastopol, CA.Bill
moved with his family to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1956.  Bill
settled into long-term employment with the California public school
system in building maintenance at the Pacifica and, later on, the
Sebastopol school districts.  Between those school jobs, he worked in
the Kansas livestock industry as cattle feedlot cowboy, then returned to
River Falls for a short time working at Ovatec Inc. before returning to
Sebastopol.  Following his wife’s passing, Bill again returned to River
Falls in September, 2017.  Back in River Falls, he enjoyed being with
family and surrounded by his new friends and the wonderful staff at Wellhaven. Horses were
Bill’s favorite pastime.  He raised and trained his own for competitive
team steer roping.  In his later years, Bill’s interests broadened to
include draft horses, mules and donkeys. Bill is preceded in death by
his parents, Marvin and Olivia Ray; his wife, Bernardine; and
brother-in-law, Gary Lundgaard.Bill is survived by his siblings, Avis
Hays, Nancy Lundgaard, Leslie “Slim” (Cindy) Ray, Edward (Flora Mae)
Ray, Ella (LeRoy) Lundgaard; brother-in-law, Ronald (Sandy) Hognestad;
and several nieces and nephews. Memorial services will be held Thursday, August 30th at 2:30 pm at Wellhaven Senior Living, River Falls, with a gathering time for family and friends starting at 2:00 pm and again on Saturday, September 8 at 3:00 pm at O’Connell-Benedict Family Funeral Home, River Falls with a gathering of family and friends from 2:00-3:00 pm.  Interment will be at Santa Rosa Memorial Park in California.In lieu of flowers,
 memorials are preferred.Services are entrusted to O’Connell-Benedict Family Funeral Home of River Falls, WI. 715-273-5644 www.oconnellfuneralservices.com