Taretha W. Ray, 78 of Abilene passed away Tuesday, November 1, 2016. Services are at 12:00 p.m. Saturday, November 5th in Macedonia Baptist Church with Jerry Miller officiating. Burial to follow in Elmwood Memorial Park. The family will receive friends Friday, November 4th from 5:00p.m.-7:00 p.m. in North’s Memorial Chapel, 242 Orange Street. Taretha was born June 22, 1938 in Tuskegee, Alabama to Ninnie and Sarah (Cloud) Wood. She was raised and attended schools in Tuskegee, she moved from Tuskegee to Detroit Michigan then on to Abilene in the early sixties. She raised seven children and worked for Abilene State School for over twenty years and Humana/Regional Medical Center for forty two years. She accepted Christ at an early age and enjoyed Sunday worship service with Pastor Felicia Hopkins, St Paul United Methodist Church via television. Taretha loved a good time with her family at reunions and cruises, she enjoyed fishing, the Dallas Cowboys, working puzzles of all kinds and cooking. Her kind heart and giving soul will always be the thing everyone remembers most about her. Her favorite phrase, no matter what her condition “I feel fine”. She always had a smile, never met a stranger and everyone was a friend. She was preceded in death by her great grand-parents, Ishmael and Angelina Harper, her grand-parents, Thomas and Eugenia Cloud, her parents Ninnie and Sarah Wood, one infant daughter Lenice Ray, three sisters; Jessica Peyton, Margaret Douglas and Eugene Wallace, three nieces; Mary Douglas, Jocelyn Wallace and Lisa Wallace, two nephews; Willie Douglas Jr. and Marcus Douglas and one granddaughter, April Smith. She is survived by her two sons, Charles Ray and wife Ruth of Fort Worth and George Barnes of Abilene. Four daughters; Paulette Ray Obregon and husband Antonio of Corpus Christi, Cynthia Ray Miller and husband Jerry of Kingsville, Danice Ray Allen and husband Kenneth of Abilene, Yolanda Barnes of Fort Worth. Step children; Larry Smith and Deatra Smith both of Fort Worth and Dennis Smith of Aurora, Colorado. Eleven grandchildren; Meleigha Ray, Donovan Ray, Isaac Ray, Selena Chavez Rey Obregon and husband Craig, Launice Miller, Mirris Ray, Tremaine Diles and wife Melissa, Brandon Diles and Kylie, Marissa Barnes and Alyssa Barnes. Nineteen great-grandchildren, and two niece’s Veronica Bass and husband Terry of Birmingham, Alabama and Myrna Wheatt of Montgomery, Alabama. Two nephew’s, Kenneth Earl Wallace of Tulsa, Oklahoma and Donald Wayne Douglas of Atlanta, Georgia. And a host of great nieces, nephews and cousins.