RAY, Russell "Rusty"

Russell “Rusty” Ray, age 26, of

Alpharetta, GA, passed away on May 14, 2020. Russell Ray was born on Sept. 11, 1993 in

Atlanta, GA, the son to

Kenneth and Donna Ray.

At the young age of two, Rusty could read and speak in full sentences. People were amazed of how well Rusty could critically think and intelligently speak at such a young age. As he grew older, he loved keeping up with all of the current events. He was definitely a scholar, and his favorite was educating his family on all of the statistics of sport athletes.

Rusty graduated from Johns Creek High School in 2012 at the top of his class. He received his Associate of Business Administration at Georgia Perimeter College in 2014 with a 3.75 GPA. Besides his many talents, he could speak Spanish fluently, was in the Honors Program, made the Dean’s List every semester, and was one of three winners of the Student Excellence Program. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing in 2017 at Georgia State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a 3.8 GPA. He made the Dean’s List and President’s List every year he attended. Rusty was a one of a kind man who loved the Lord and touched lives. He had a sweet, generous spirit and had a way of connecting with people. He never met a stranger and could overcome any obstacle placed in his path. He could answer any question and was passionate about helping and educating those around him. Once you met Rusty, you could not help but to love him.

Rusty was great son, grandson, cousin and friend to so many people. His life and influence will forever remain in the lives of all who knew him.

Rusty was preceded in death by his grandfather, known as, Opa, grandfather Granpa Red, and Grandma Nell. He is survived by his father, Kenneth “Big Rusty” Ray, of Alpharetta, GA, mother, Donna Ray, of Alpharetta, GA, grandmother, known as Oma, Theresa Schmidt, of Alpharetta, GA and a host of relatives and friends.