All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten was the name of a popular book. If you were one of the 2,000 children (including her daughter) that had Sue Ray for Kindergarten you probably felt you learned everything about life with her!
Sue was 89 years old, living independently in her beloved Kirksville. After her first hemorrhagic stroke in December 2018, her daughter Karyn, moved her to Kansas City to be near her. She continued to have these strokes. The last one she had it was obvious she would not recover from, but she continued to "hang around" for eleven days. When her eyes were open, Karyn was singing Nursery Rhymes, children's bible songs, and of course reading her The Cat in the Hat. On July 12, 2019, as she was taking her last breaths, Karyn played the popular Christian song, Well Done by the Afters as she was greeted in Heaven with "Well Done good and faithful Servant”!
Sue Archibald was born on August 18, 1929, to John and Irene (Davidson) Archibald in Marshall, Missouri. She grew up in Carrollton, Missouri and graduated from Carrollton High School in 1947, with honors including being a State Debate Champion. She was attending Central Missouri State, when her dad died and she returned to Carrollton to support her mother and younger brother, Tom. At that time you could take state tests and teach. She became the first public school Kindergarten teacher in Carrollton, where she taught for six years. She went back to Warrensburg for seven summers to completing her degree in August of 1953.
On March 9, 1951, she married the dashing Carrollton assistant coach, Jack Ray. She quit teaching when she became pregnant, as you couldn’t teach if you were pregnant during that time. She had her daughter Karyn in May of 1955.
Jack had graduated from Northeast Missouri State Teacher’s College (Truman State), and played football for the Bulldogs. His football buddies convinced him to come back to Kirksville to be the High School Guidance Counselor. Sue taught Kindergarten at Greenwood School for 30 years from 1956-1986. She had an incredible artistic ability, drawing all of her room decorations, and many of the Kindergarten learning activities, which her daughter has saved and treasured. Karyn is a Preschool Director and has been proud to share her mother’s creativeness with the preschool teachers.
Sue was very involved in the local teacher’s organization, and was a president of American Association of University Women. Other teachers would try to nominate Sue for teacher of the year, but she always refused, saying “Every teacher is a teacher of the year!” When she retired in 1986, she was surprised with the Teacher of the Year honor.
If the Rays weren’t at school, they were at First Baptist Church. Sue taught 4 year olds and Vacation Bible School. Again she used her artistic talents to create decorations and crafts for the children. She also was in charge of creating all the bulletin boards at church.
Sue was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Jack, and her brother Tom. She leaves behind her daughter Karyn Ray Chastain, and husband Mark of Kansas City, Missouri. Her granddaughter Kamryn Chastain, is attending the School of Veterinary Medicine at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Being a teacher in life, she wanted to be a teacher in death and donated her body to science. A celebration of her life is planned for October 5, 2019 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Travis –Noe Funeral Home. Be prepared to write down your memories of Sue Ray. In honor of her we hope that the Nursery Rhyme stain glass windows from Greenwood School will be preserved in a special location by Truman State University.