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Pholia's obituary

Pholia “Ray” Swift passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at home. Ray was born on October 12, 1931 in Surry County, NC to Pholy and Etta (Butcher) Swift. He was the youngest of seven siblings. Ray was a star athlete in high school, playing both baseball and basketball. He went on to play minor league baseball, something he spoke about often. He later went on to coach numerous baseball teams in the area. Ray moved to Flint in 1954 and began working at General Motors, where he retired from after 30 years of service. He met and married the love of his life Ella in 1956 and they were married shortly after. They had a love like no other, spending all of their time together doing things they liked, bowling, traveling and buying and selling houses. Ray owned twenty two rental homes at one time. He enjoyed going to the horse races, watching sports, attending country concerts and playing cards. However nothing meant more to him than being a father and husband. In 1971, he and Ella welcomed a daughter, Stacey Marie followed by a son, Steven Ray in 1976. From there on, he spent every ounce of free time with his wife and children. All of that paled in comparison to the life that he and his wife built around their beautiful and adoring granddaughters. He became an intricate foundation in their lives with an unbreakable bond. There wasn’t a day that he didn’t influence their lives in some way. Ray is survived by his daughter Stacey and son Steve (Kristen) and granddaughters Isabella, Emma, Ava, Sophie and Avery. Cremation has taken place at this time. In lieu of flowers or donations, I ask this of you instead; Say hello to a stranger, smile and give someone a compliment (heartfelt), or do something nice for someone and expect nothing in return. Those are the best way to memorialize Ray. As he had no enemies, loved to talk, and never met a stranger. Special thanks to all of the amazing friends and family that sent texts, calls, cards, flowers, food and most of all prayers.

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Pholia Swift