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Ray Overton Jr. '46 August 30, 2017 9:15 AM updated: August 30, 2017 9:19 AM

Published in Dallas Morning News from Aug. 27 to Aug. 28, 2017

Ray Overton(1924 - 2017)
OVERTON, Ray Cherished and loved by all, Coach Ray Overton Jr, 93, (Coach O) passed away August 24th, 2017, surrounded by his family. Ray was born in Vernon, TX, January 14, 1924 to Laura A. Smith Overton and Ray Overton Sr. He married Margaret Ruth Free in 1952, they were married 63 years, before her death in 2015. He is survived by his daughter, Mary Margaret and her husband, Bill Meyer. Ray was a member of First United Methodist Church in Haskell, and later became a member of Aldersgate Methodist Church in Abilene and Plymouth Park United Methodist Church of Irving. Ray will be forever missed by his family and the many young people that he mentored throughout his many years in education and coaching. Ray graduated from Paint Creek High School in 1941, served in the Air Force during WW2 as a pilot, graduated from Texas A&M, and received his Masters from Abilene Christian University. Ray won more than his share of games, he received and was recognized with a substantial number of awards in his 47 year coaching throughout Texas, which included Paint Creek High School, Haskell High School, Abilene Cooper High School, and MacArthur High School in Irving, TX. He often said "I realized early in my career that I could do nothing more important than to work with young people. It was a thrill to watch them play football on Friday nights, but that's nothing compared to watching them live their lives today." He is a member of the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the North Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Abilene Cooper High School Hall of Fame, the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Irving ISD Athletic Hall of Fame. Ray served as President of the Texas High School Coaches Association, was head coach of the North Team in the Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star game, and head coach of the Texas vs. California All-Star team. He was awarded the Tom Landry Award for his outstanding contributions to High School Football and for providing a positive role model for athletes and being a credit to the coaching profession. Ray loved mentoring Young People. He was a Sunday School teacher at the Methodist Church in Haskell and Abilene and continued teaching high school part time at MacArthur into his early 80s. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00PM, Monday, August 28 at Brown's Memorial Funeral Home, 707 N MacArthur Blvd, Irving. A funeral will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, August 29th at First United Methodist Church in Haskell. For friends and family in the Irving area, a memorial service will be held at 1:00 PM on Thursday August 31st at Plymouth Park United Methodist Church in Irving. The family wants to give a special thanks to Shaleda Buchanan for her devoted service the past 4 years. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to benefit the Youth Fund at either the First United Methodist Church, 201 N Ave F, Haskell, TX 79521 or to Plymouth Park United Methodist Church, 1615 W Airport Frwy, Irving, TX 75062




Funeral Home
Ben F. Brown's Memorial Funeral Home, Inc.
707 North MacArthur Boulevard Irving, TX 75061
(972) 254-4242


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