Jesse Edward Ray Jr.

1949 - 2025

Jesse Edward Ray Jr. of Yulee, Fla., passed away peacefully in his sleep at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Jane and Bill Warner Center for Caring in Fernandina Beach, Fla., after a silent battle with pancreatic cancer.
He was born on August 17, 1949, to Mary Frances and Jesse Edward Ray Sr. and grew up in Jacksonville, Fla. He was a loving brother to three younger sisters, Gwen, Jackie and Carol. Later in life, he would come to live in Yulee with his sister, Gwen, and her husband, Ernie, for 39 years, making memories with their five children and extended family as they all grew up together. Jesse spent many years at the ARC in Yulee going to movies, having fun meeting people and helping others in the community in various ways such as bagging groceries at IGA and Winn-Dixie and helping at the 24-Hour Laundry Zone.
He was also known as Eddie. Many remember his fun-loving heart, his many questions and his "Eddie-isms." He never met a stranger, was a great timekeeper, always wanted to know where everyone was. Every day was a "pretty day." He loved to dance, especially to Elvis Presley, and if you could get him on the dance floor, he became the life of the party.
He loved to fish and be out on the water and once caught the largest warmouth fish ever caught in Lake Talquin. He loved watching sports such as football and wrestling. Jesse's favorite teams were the Gators and the Jaguars. He loved watching professional wrestling on T, and videos of Lucas & Journey, who are high school wrestlers. He also spent years going to the motocross track to watch his family racing and proudly wore the #241 himself on his shirt.
While he was never married, he leaves behind Gwen Millan, Carol and Steve Hickman, Jackie Sanford, Kim and Roger Ebmeier, Tina and Mark Humphries, Patty and Mike Ellington, Katrina and Allen Flannery, Pam Hickman, Lynn and Mary Westberry, cousins Jamie and Sandy Ray and all of their children, Ashley, Heather (Todd), Lochlan, Lenox, Haley (Chris), Kaitlyn, Nathaniel, Olivia, Conner, Addison, Alyssa, Brooke (Nathan), Bailey (Haley), Reed (Ashton), Cody (Lexx), Lucas, Journey, Alaney, Brian, Sharon, Nancy, Robert, Michael, Melissa and Megan.
The Lord's Prayer was something he could recite from memory. Jesse is being welcomed into heaven by his parents, Big Ernie and Lil' Ernie Millan, Michael Hickman and all who loved him.
The family will receive friends at 10 a.m. on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at Oxley-Heard Funeral Directors. The funeral service will begin at 11 a.m.
He will be laid to rest at a later date next to Big Ernie and Little Ernie, where he visited them often and sat on their bench at Bosque Bello Cemetery.
Please share your memories and condolences at www.oxleyheard.com.