Funeral services for Ray Richard Schoonover, 87, of Greenville will be held at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 21 at St. James Episcopal Church, Greenville. He died Monday, April 13, at his home in Magnolia Gardens. Burial with full military rites will follow in the Greenville Cemetery under the direction of Boone Funeral Home.
Ray was born in Greenville, MS on May 23, 1927, the son of the late Sue (Pierce) and Leon Richard Schoonover. He attended Old Court School, Old Central School, E.E. Bass Junior High School, and Greenville High School. While in high school, Ray became the first Civil Air Patrol Cadet Master Sergeant in the state of Mississippi. He joined the navy in 1944, was discharged in 1946, and attended Mississippi State University for two years. He rejoined the navy in January 1951 as a Seaman First during the Korean Conflict and remained on active duty until May 1986. He retired in 1986 with the rank of Commander.
Commander Schoonover received his commission on June 2, 1960 aboard the aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Oriskany (CV-34). He was the first enlisted man to be promoted to officer status on board. He served on 6 aircraft carriers and spent more than eight years underway and deployed. Ray was a plankowner on board the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy (CV-67), one of the first 3 Watch Officers to qualify as Officer of the Deck. He took Kennedy on the first operational deployment to the Mediterranean. During Kennedy deployment, he volunteered to go into Benghazi, Libya attached with special operations. He also served aboard the U.S.S. Ticonderoga (CV-14) in the South China Sea when destroyers Turner Joy and Maddox were attacked by North Vietnamese P.T. boats off the coast of Vietnam. Additionally, he served on the Carrier U.S.S. Midway (CV-41) when the U.S. evacuated the U.S. Embassy in Saigon and later steamed to assist in the S.S. Miaguez rescue. Commander Schoonover’s most recent tour of duty was on the staff of the Commander in Chief U.S. Atlantic and Commander In Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He was awarded with the Meritorious Service Medal for faithfully serving his country for 36 and a half years.
After retirement from the navy, Mr. Schoonover attended Delta State University pursuing a double major in computer systems analysis and real estate and insurance. He married Mildred Griffin Klein, former Washington County Tax Assessor, on April 26, 1986. She preceded him in death in 2012.
Survivors include a stepson, Mike Hart Williams (Carolyn); 2 step-grandchildren,Jason Michael Williams and Jennifer Nicole Tiechman (Jordan); and a step-great grandchild,Jayden Tiechman, all of Richmond, TX; and a step-grand nephew, Lt. Commander, R. Thomas Griffin, US Navy of Slidell, LA.
A visitation will be held one hour before services at the church.