Services for Ray J. Fruge will be at 2:00 pm, Saturday, 2/27/2021 at First Christian Church Alexandria/Pineville (3500 LA-28, Pineville LA 71360) with Rev. D.C. Sills officiating. Visitation will be at the church from 10 am until the service at 2 pm. His ashes will be interred at a later date at the cemetery of Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Ville Platte, LA under the direction of Magnolia Funeral Home, Alexandria. Ray, 80 years old, passed away on 2/22/2021 at his home in Pineville. Those left to cherish his memory include his sisters Brenda Guillory and Jamaine Amy (Doug), sister-in-law Polly Fruge, brother-in-law Roderick Fontenot, three nephews, five nieces, many great nieces & nephews, and loving members of his extended family. Ray will be deeply missed by his special friends Fayrene Albert Morgan, Harry Beverley & David Carson. Pallbearers will be Ritchie Fruge, Troy Fontenot, Todd Fontenot, Benjamin Watson, Dusty Soileau, Jordy Lanthier. Ray lived in Vidrine, Louisiana until he graduated from high school and joined the United States Navy in 1957. He served his country for nine years and then continued in the Naval Reserve. In 1967, he worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse in Southern California. Ray was especially proud of his work as an addiction counselor at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California from 1982 to 1995. Upon returning to Louisiana, he continued counseling until he retired from the State of Louisiana in 2011. Ray was a kind and beautiful soul who shared much love and wisdom with everyone he knew. He was always ready with a wise crack and a smile to brighten people’s day. He was loved for his stories and the fact that even in imperfect health, he would say “I thank God for the health I have today.” Over the years, he was a wise mentor and sponsor to many grateful friends. The world is a darker place without his light shining among us.