The Habersham community is mourning the loss of a beloved former teacher and coach. Mike Ray, 72, passed away Wednesday after battling COVID-19. Ray lost his mother, Aileen, to the disease last year. His funeral was held Sunday.
Coach Ray’s roots ran deep in Habersham. Born in Clarkesville in 1948, he was a competitive athlete who trained and played on the same courts where he later coached. Judy Forbes attended North Habersham High School with Ray. He was the senior basketball star when she was a freshman. Their paths crossed again after college when they worked for the county school system.
During her time as Habersham’s curriculum director, Forbes paid many visits to Coach Ray’s classroom, observing him as he worked with his students.
“Mike was the tall teacher who towered over his students, and he was always in the middle of a group of kids while teaching physical education,” says Forbes. “He had a dry sense of humor that warmed his students. They looked up to him, literally and respectfully, and they thought a lot of him.”
Lauran Berrong was one of those students. Coach Ray was her PE teacher at North Habersham Middle School in the early 2000s. “One of the best coaches ever,” she wrote in an online tribute to Ray, one of the hundreds posted to social media in the days since his death. She tells Now Habersham Coach Ray was like a father figure to her: “He genuinely cared about every single one of his students.”
Berrong recalls how Ray made school fun and pushed his students to do and be their best. “Coach wouldn’t accept anything but your best, and I thank God he pushed me back then,” she says. “Having Coach Ray helped make me who I am today.”
Echoing Berrong’s sentiment, Forbes remembers Ray as a supportive coach “who expected much, and the students didn’t want to disappoint him.”
Coach Ray’s height made him an imposing presence, but it was his heart and devotion to the youth of his home county that made him stand out.
Character, faith, and UGA
Hired in 1978 as one of Habersham’s first elementary school PE teachers, Coach Ray impacted many generations through his work. He coached several sports, including varsity boys basketball at Habersham Central and middle school girls and boys basketball at North Habersham Middle School. He also coached youth league teams.
County school athletic director Geep Cunningham began his coaching career at Habersham Central the same year Coach Ray took over as the boys’ varsity coach.
“We worked together for three years. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Coach Ray. He loved basketball, well, I guess you could say he just loved athletics,” says Cunningham. The two coaches forged a friendship on the court and the links. Golf was one of Mike Ray’s favorite pastimes – that and UGA sports.
Mike Ray’s love of sports fueled his desire to become a coach and teacher. After graduating high school in 1966, he attended Young Harris College, where he played for the Mountain Lions men’s basketball team while earning an associate’s degree. He graduated from Young Harris in 1968 and went on to earn his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Physical Education at the University of Georgia.
Ray was a diehard Georgia Bulldogs fan. He was also a man of faith. He served as a deacon at Bethlehem Baptist Church, where he was a member for sixty years. Paula Gibson, a former colleague of his, remembers him as a “truly wonderful man; a man of strong character and faith in God.”
Beyond church and school, Ray also served his community in the National Guard. Former local news publisher Johnny Solesbee served alongside him. He recalls the days they spent “side by side during drills and summer camps,” adding that Ray was “Always a great guy to be around.”
Unassuming, hard-working, caring – the list of positive adjectives used to describe ‘Coach Mike,’ as many knew him, is long. Linda Camp says she’s lucky to have taught with him at North Habersham. She remembers him as a “gentle soul” with a wonderful sense of humor. “Everyone loved him.”
“Coach Ray was a respected member of our school system and community, loved and admired by all those he came in contact with, especially the young people that he taught and coached,” says Cunningham. “We will all miss him dearly.”
He was ‘one-in-a-million.’
It is the loss of such genuine goodness of spirit that cuts deep into the local community’s heart. Since his death, many have shared their emotional tributes of grief and gratitude, framing the legacy of a man who made a positive difference in so many lives.
“The community has lost a one-in-a-million educator who made a difference in the lives of every kid he worked with over his career,” says Forbes. “Every kid mattered, and he made a difference. The business of making a difference is something I feel educators must account for, and he certainly filled that bill.”
Becky Ray says her husband was honored to have the opportunity to impact the lives of young people in Habersham County both on and off the basketball court. She was married to Mike for 47 years. They raised three children together and welcomed nine grandchildren.
“We have been overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of love, prayers, and support for us at this time of such tremendous loss,” she says. “We are blessed to be part of this wonderful, caring community.”
Coach Ray’s funeral was a private affair due to COVID-19, but the service was streamed live from Bethlehem Baptist Church. It may be viewed on the church’s Facebook Page.
Becky Ray says their family is forever grateful for all the community support they’ve received, adding, “We appreciate the continued prayers for our family as we go forward without our favorite coach.”
