Ray Bunting

William Ray Bunting, 90, of Asheboro, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 17, 2014 at Randolph Hospice House following a brief illness. The family will receive friends Wednesday, February 19, 2014 from 6-8:00 pm at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Ave., Asheboro. Funeral services will be held Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 2:00 PM at First United Methodist Church, Asheboro where he was a member. Officiating will be Rev. Dan Ramsey, Dr. J. C. Grose, Jr., and Rev. George Roberson. Burial will follow at Oaklawn Cemetery, Asheboro, with military honors by the Randolph County Honor Guard. Ray, a retired carpenter from J. H. Allen, was a Randolph County native born November 8, 1923. He was the son of James Alson and Pearl McDowell Bunting. He was married to Lois Dorsett Bunting, May 31, 1947, for 56 wonderful years before she preceded him in death in 2003. He also was preceded in death by his son, Gregg, and by his siblings, Reva Morris (Everett), George Bunting (Ardell), Lola Pugh (Herb), Jay Bunting, Ina Mae Dorsett (Olan), Herman Bunting (Marilyn), and Gilbert Bunting. Ray was a US Army veteran, serving in the 4th Mechanized Calvary VII Corp during WWII. He fought in Normandy (D-Day); St. Lo, France; Aachen, Germany (where he was shot); Hurtgen Forest, Germany; and in the Battle of the Bulge. He served from 1941-1945. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Distinguished Unit Badge, Victory Medal, Eamet Campaign Medal with 5 Bronze Stars and 1 Bronze Arrowhead during his service. Ray loved people and he loved life. He was especially proud of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He worked hard to support his family, making sure each one had a chance to be successful. He enjoyed many trips with his family, his favorite being Holden Beach. He was already making plans for our next trip there. He also took pride watching his great-grandsons play ball and attended their school events, watching them develop into fine young men. Words cannot express his joy when his long-awaited great-granddaughter arrived in October, 2013. Ray also enjoyed gardening, fishing, hunting, bowling, and pitching horseshoes. He shared his homegrown produce with many friends and made many trips to the Sandhills to deliver more. He also attended many UNC sporting events and Post 45 legion baseball games over the years. He was a "regular" at Hops's BBQ, Prevo Drugs, Auto Body Works, Bill Varner's garage, and Farlow Produce, just to name a few. He never missed a Kiwanis Pancake Day and was making his plans to attend in March. He enjoyed spending time with his Thursday night Ping-Pong buddies and visiting Dennis and staff at the Flying Pig. He enjoyed his 90 years of life to the fullest. Ray is survived by his sons, Duane R. Bunting of Asheboro, Clark Bunting (Randi) of Kernersville; daughter, Lauren Hardin (Chris) of Asheboro; grandchildren, Alan Bunting (Sherri Hayes) of Asheboro, Clark Bunting, II (Daniella) of Belews Creek, Wes Bunting (Heather) of Wake Forest, and Jennifer Parks (John Hughes) of Raleigh. He is also survived by his great-grandchildren, Jacob and Joshua Bunting of Belews Creek, and Landis Bunting of Wake Forest. He was "PaPaw Ray-Ray" to Samantha, Matt, and Tiffany and "papaw" to Logan and Jayce. Survivors also include sister-in-laws Evelyn Bunting and Mildred Stuart, both of Asheboro, and many nieces and nephews. The family would like to express a special thank you to the wonderful staff at Randolph Hospital 4th floor and ER, Clapp's Rehabilitation, and Randolph Hospice House for taking great care of our Dad during his illness. We also appreciate his many friends who were there over the years and those who visited him during this difficult time. Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, 224 North Fayetteville Street, Asheboro, NC 27203 or Randolph County Honor Guard, P.O. Box 1672, Asheboro, NC 27204 or Hospice of Randolph, P.O. Box 9, Asheboro, NC 27204-0009.