Ray L. Blakeney

Ray Lavern Blakeney

May 20, 1945 – July 6, 2024

Ray Lavern Blakeney of Edmond, Oklahoma, (79) passed away on July 6, 2024. Born in Clarendon, Texas, to Jewel Ruth (Barksdale) and C.Y. Blakeney, Ray’s earliest memories were of the family farm in Acorn, Arkansas. When Ray was 8 years old, the family moved to Mena, Arkansas. He graduated from Mena High School and attended Oklahoma Christian University before entering military service.

In 1965, Ray joined the United States Navy where he quickly excelled in his training as a corpsman. His skills were so good he was attached to the Marine Corps as that branch does not have medical personnel. In October 1967, Ray shipped out to Vietnam. Wherever his Marine unit went, Ray went too. He saw the Tet offensive at its height, was wounded but not so severe as to warrant a discharge. He witnessed things no 21 year old should see and saved countless lives.

After completion of his military service, Ray joined the Midwest City Police Department. He soon rose in the ranks to Sergeant. After 10 years on the force, he took a job as an investigator for the Medical Examiner in Oklahoma City. Before long, he was supervising all the investigators and eventually became the Director of Operations. Ray served this office for 30 years. He made sure families were treated with respect when their loved ones ended up at the ME’s but his most impactful job was leading the recovery efforts following the Oklahoma City Bombing. Ray established the Family Assistance Center and helped countless family members deal with the loss of their loved ones. He was the public information spokesperson for the ME’s office and testified in Timothy McVeigh’s trial in Colorado. Ray went on to train thousands more on how to efficiently and compassionately deal with mass fatalities. He traveled to Canada, the Virgin Islands, Croatia, and all over the United States to share his knowledge on how to react when disaster strikes. He also worked as a tissue retrieval team leader for the American Red Cross for 12 years. After retiring from the ME’s office, Ray began working for LifeShare in 2004. He spent the next 11 years leading the tissue retrieval teams for LifeShare retiring for the second time in 2015.

Ray developed his love of fishing as a young boy in Acorn where he spent many hours fishing the Ouachita River. He had a vacation home in the 1980s at Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma where he could fish. Ray also organized many fishing trips to Lake Texoma and later met his good friend the late Arley McMillan, who owned Fishing Trips of a Lifetime. Ray accompanied Arley to Iquitos in Peru, South America to fish the Amazon River, Lake Aguamilpa in Mexico and to the southern tip of Costa Rica to fish. The study in Ray’s home holds photos and trophy fish he caught throughout his lifetime.

Ray is preceded in death by his parents, Jewel (Barksdale) and C.Y. Blakeney, his brother Billy Blakeney and his brother Joe Blakeney. He is survived by his wife, Derinda Blakeney, son Eric (Natasha) Blakeney, daughter Jennifer (Erik) Welch, step-daughter Jamie (Sean) DeFonde, step-son Heath (Shannon) Lowe, nine grandchildren/step-grandchildren (Clara, Lily and Nicholas Welch, Azlynn Thomas and Kaeleb Ward, Gabriella and Makenzie DeFonde and Addison and Jackson Lowe, sister Neda Lomax, brother Tom Blakeney, sister Lou (Gene) Sullivan and many nieces, nephews, family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to Folds of Honor Foundation, 5971 North Patriot Drive, Owasso, Oklahoma 74055.

Services will be at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, 2024 at First United Methodist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. Inurnment will take place at 10:00 a.m. at Ft. Sill National Cemetery on July 15, 2024.

To view the live stream of the service please visit the following link: https://www.youtube.com/@EdmondFirstUMC .

8 thoughts on “Ray L. Blakeney”

  1. Colleen and Bob Walker

    Thoughts of sympathy and love to Derinda, my BFF. Eric and Jennifer, Ray’s children, as well as their families. May the memories of all your wonderful days gone by bring you peace and comfort. GOD SPEED RAY! You are finally pain free. ❤️

  2. Cindy Shepherd

    🥀You are in my thoughts and also in my prayers. Asking the Lord to bless you and to keep you in His care. May you feel His loving touch as He holds you in His hand. May you sense His love around you, as on His strength, you stand. Find laughter in the memories and peace beyond measure, while being thankful for a life well-lived, knowing Heaven’s received a treasure.🥀

  3. Larry Legg

    I’m so sad to hear of Ray’s passing. We were close friends and coworkers at Midwest City Police Department, as well as next door neighbors during those years. We enjoyed vacations together at Lake Tenkiller and many fishing trips to Lake Texoma. Ray was a unique and special person who had a positive influence on the lives of many people throughout his life. May God comfort Derinda, Eric, Jennifer and the entire family during this difficult time.

  4. Allen Mansfield

    I remember this past year at Thanksmas, the Blakeney family reunion talking in depth with Ray and his experiences throughout his career. I’ve always been very fond of him and trust that God through Jesus Christ will keep him.

  5. Cindy Ferrell Ashwo

    My family will always appreciate the incredibly difficult job he did in the days after the bombing. He kept the families of the missing informed with such professionalism and grace. He was a great man.

  6. Karen Uselton

    Jennifer, I am thinking about you and praying for your family. Your dad was so amazing. I think about you often and how you were with your dad during the bombing. It had to be so hard for him and you. I love you.
    Karen Uselton

  7. Veronique Scurry

    I met Ray and his wife when I was 19 years old, 13 years ago, at a neighborhood restaurant, Interurban, that they came to for years. During my years of work there, never have I met more kind and respectful people. When he and Derinda asked how things were with my family, he always listened inventively and with care. Reading all the wonderful work he’s done in his life for others, it’s dawned on me that not only was that a characteristic of his, but how he led his life. It takes a really special person to constantly put others first and I’m so grateful to have received the kindness of this amazing person and to have known him and had the chances to serve him. My condolences to the family and I pray for comfort during this difficult time.

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