Ruth Ray

Ruth (Linenkugel) Ray passed away at the age of 101, on December 26, 2024 at Hospice of Northwest Ohio, Perrysburg after a short illness. She was born on December 18, 1923 to George and Minnie (Schetter) Linenkugel in Toledo. She was married to Richard J. Ray, Sr. for 50 years, who preceded her in death. Some of her earliest memories were talking walks with her Grandpa Linenkugel around the 30- acre property (now part of the University of Toledo) and picking up hickory nuts and pretty stones, and gathering dandelion flowers which Grandpa used to make dandelion wine. She loved riding their horse Rex, and especially enjoyed when Rex would make a fast dash back to the barn at the end of the ride! Ruth graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1942 as the Salutatorian and was very nervous giving the first speech at the graduation ceremony. Following high school, she went to work full-time for Osterman & Levey Jewelers, where her sister Margie worked as bookkeeper. Ruth became bookkeeper when her sister got married and moved away. Ruth learned a lot about running a business and how to treat employees and customers from the store's owners. She worked at the store until pregnant with her first child, Carol. While pregnant with her second child, Richard Jr., she was diagnosed with polio and developed complications leaving her unconscious for several days, 1-month before delivery. Luckily, she had a full recovery with no reoccurrences of the disease. Ruth started her radio career in 1967 answering an ad in the paper for "a girl Friday", at FM radio station WMHE (92.5) which was located right down the street from home. She learned she needed a Third-Class Engineer's license of the FCC. She was given a book to study, took the test in Detroit the following week, and with the license in hand started working part-time at the station, progressing to full-time doing the programming and selling advertising. She had her first sale the morning of her first day selling, and the owner congratulated her with a bottle of champagne! In 1973 after managing the station's upgrade in power, stereo sound, and the use of computers for selecting the music, she became the General Manager of the station. She changed the station's format from Beautiful Music to Album Oriented Rock (AOR) and Top 40, and to promote the station did a number of remote broadcasts with a fully equipped mobile station. In 1983 she applied for a license to build and operate a station with a new frequency that the FCC had assigned to Sanibel Island, FL. This began a long legal and administrative process that would last for 12 years. Meanwhile, in 1986 the WMHE was sold to Osborne Communications which would eventually acquire more stations and the company was taken public, with Ruth as a Vice-President. During this time the station took part in a promotion for a drawing give-away of a home valued at $92,500, a nod to the station's frequency. By this time WMHE was rated #1 in the Toledo Metro Area by Arbitron. She was a member of The Advertising Club of Toledo, receiving its Advertising Silver Medal Award in 1988, and was a member of the 1st Annual Distinguished Clown Corp in the 1988 downtown Toledo Christmas Parade. She was on the ABC FM Radio Network's Affiliates Advisory Board for nine years. After 22 years at WMHE she resigned in 1989 and she and Dick moved to Florida to build her own FM radio station, covering the Fort Myers/Naples area of Southwest Florida. There were numerous delays obtaining the FCC license for the station, and finding an acceptable tower location that was not near an eagle's nest. In the meanwhile, she was the General Manager of FM radio station WOLZ in Fort Myers, FL. Finally, in September 1995 she put her station WDRR on the air with a "Smooth Jazz" format. The station sponsored numerous jazz concerts with area organizations, with a large live audience which it would also broadcast live. In 1998 she was able to increase the power of the station to expand her coverage. She was a director of the Advertising Federation of Southwest Florida, 4th District. In 2001, she sold the station and finally retired. She continued to live in Bonita Springs, FL in the winter and spent the summer at her condo in Ottawa Hills, OH. After she retired, she became an avid golfer, was a member of the 9-hole women's league at Spring Run Golf Club in Bonita Springs, FL where she had a hole-in-one at the age of 95, and the South Toledo Golf Club. She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Richard J. Ray, her parents, George Linenkugel Jr. and Minnie (Schetter) Linenkugel, her sister and brother-in-law Margie M. and Thomas J. Ainsworth, and brother-in-law Paul Ray. She is survived by her daughter Carol (Neil) Bersticker; son Richard, Jr. (Debbi) Ray; grandsons Jarrett Ray, Jonathan (Amelia) Ray; great grandchildren Kristian Ray-Marrero, Vivian and Everett Ray; and extended family Paul, Sara and Anna Bersticker. Friends may visit at the Coyle Funeral Home, 1770 S. Reynolds Rd., Toledo on Monday Jan. 27 from 4-7 pm followed by the Rosary at 7:00 pm. Funeral services will be held at Gesu Catholic Church on Tuesday Jan. 28 at 12:00 pm. Private interment services will be held at Joy Cemetery in Ottawa Hills, OH. The family thanks the staff members of Hospice of NW Ohio, Perrysburg, who took such great care of her during her final two weeks. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to either St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, or the Cherry Street Mission, 1501 Monroe St., Toledo, OH. Please view and sign the online guest registry at CoyleFuneralHome.com

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Ruth Ray

December 18, 1923 - December 26, 2024