Ray Athey
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Checked back into Camp Ray Athey |
Back to The Lodge
Ray Athey After leaving camp, in nineteen-sixty-eight, I
turned sixteen, and I got my driver’s license. My family and I went on
a vacation out west, in the summer, Grand Canyon, Disney Land,
Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Four Corners, you know, basically everywhere
out west, and I got to drive the entire way, boy, it was
exciting. The next year was nineteen-seventy and I graduated high school, joined the Marine Corps, and began a four year long quest for manhood... I was stationed in Yuma, Arizona, nearly the whole time; I got into four wheeling and all the other foolishness I could find. Went to several good concerts, lived a lot, and did all I could to sew my wild oats. 
After my time in the Corps, I went to work for my Dad in the Floor Covering business in Paducah, Kentucky. I got married to a young lady, Ann Bowers, from Little Mountain, South Carolina, who already had a six month old daughter, Mega Cox, so I adopted her, and then three years later we had another of our own. I went to night school to get my degree (made straight A’s and the Dean’s list) while working full time. I dove into hard work like no other employee my father had, I really enjoyed working with the public and I eventually became sales manager.
After seven years my wife and I divorced and I
moved from Paducah and tried to start life over. It was hard, but after
two different jobs, (I spent some time self employed, and a three year
stint at a commercial laundry in Lexington, Kentucky), I wound up in
Shelbyville, Kentucky, and got back into the floor covering business. I
managed three different stores and sold millions of dollars worth of
carpet. Eventually, after ten years as a single man, I tried my hand at
marrying again. This time it was for good, as I found my life’s mate,
Regina F. Shely. 15-years-ago I went to work for the state as a Child Support Enforcement worker. After three years in Louisville, Kentucky, working at the county level, suspending driver’s licenses and doing Follow-Me-Wage Assignments, I ended up in Frankfort, Kentucky, at the state level, in the Central Office (where the Director’s of Child Support’s office is). I now do Location. I find the missing non-custodial parent when all other location efforts fail. My job is very rewarding, I still work very hard, and I sleep well at night. I do it for the kids, not the pay check. I have three children, two daughters, 39 and 36-years-old, one step son, 35, three grandsons, two are 15 (twins)and one is 9, two granddaughters, one is 18-years-old and the other is 9, and I currently have 8 rescued cats. I know I’ve failed to mention all the small stuff that went on, but no one needs to know all the things that make life so darn rewarding, now, do they? |
