Bray, John W.
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THE COMMISSION ON PUBLIC REL;.'IIONS .. ND METHODIST INFORM;.TION
The Detroit ~nnucl Conference -- The United Me t hodist Church
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THE C0~1MISSION ON FUBLIC RELATI Or.S AND METHODI ST I NFORMATION
The Detroit Annual Conf0rence -- Th e United Me t hodist Church
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THE COMM ISS I ON ON PUBLIC RELATIONS AND METHODI SI I NFORMATION
The Detroit Annual Conference -- The United Me thodis t Church
Pe r so na l
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Informa tion Shee t
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a s p r e vious oc cupa tion, h o bbies , t r ave l , pu b li ca ti o n ~ , e t c .
D RA Y . J 0 !-11'>: \\' E SLEY-(T., Det., 1949;
F.; 1952) 1 9~7. ll1 1ch. Jcrom e -~om er•e t
Cente r ; 1950 Ken t ucky. E wi ng: 195 1 L ex i nma n Ois tric t Mi,.ion : 1952 Oloy) Flin t ;
Flint P~ rk; 1963 Oa ,•i<on. 2 11 E . T hird .
48423. P h . ()L 3- 5i26. Church : Main SL &
T hird. l'h . 653-5272.
(h " Publi ~ ity Informu t i on Go r r e:c tion She e t " is a va ila b l e t o a dd/ de le t e it e ms )
AUTOBIOGRAPHY: O n September 23, 1924,
a Methodist pastor and his wife, Ethan and
Winifred Bray, became the parents of their first
child, a son, john Wes ley. Born in Chicago, I
with my parents immediately moved to my
father's first appointment in Millersburg.
In 1942 I graduated from high school in Pinconni ng. I left immed iately to attend the Moody Bible Institute in Chi cago. I continued my educati on at Adrian College and Asbury Theol ogical
Seminary. I served student pastorates while in
co llege and seminary and received my first fulltime appointment in 1952 at the Flint Park
Church in Flint. I marri ed M argaret Mistele in
1947. We are the parents of a son and three
daughters. Margaret died in 197 1 while we were
serving the church in Davison.
After serving St. John's Chu rch in Royal Oak, I was appoin ted to the Beverly Hills
Church, w here I served for 10 years until my retirement in 1989. I served for many
years as Conference Secretary and served o n numerous District Committees. Jan and
I were married in 198 1 and will be livi ng in Farmington Hills.
TESTIMONIAL: John Wes ley Bray, w hat a name and w hat a guy. His methodical,
energetic and evangelica l spirit reminds me of another person named john Wesley
whose love for Christ made a d ifferen ce in the world. Now, I'm not about to cannonize either o ne to sainthood but some peopl e come cl oser than others.
I have known John Bray fo r several years as a brother in ministry. But it wasn't until
Doroth y and I moved into a parsonage that was in grea t need of painting and repairs
that I got to know the real John Bray. On a hot June day when he and Jan were to
start their vacation, John showed up in work jeans with paint brush and ro ller. W ith
sleeves rolled up he joined others and in a short time the parsonage took on a beautiful
new look.
W herever John Bray was sent to minister, he simply rolled up his sleeves and went
to work sharing the good news of the saving power of Jesus Ch rist. He was a good
preacher with a wa rm pastoral heart. Because of his caring spirit life took on new meaning for people wherever John served. We are grateful to john Wesley Bray for fo rty
years of faithful dedicated ministry. May God continue to bless your ministry in retirement years.
Joy E. Art hur
EVe
~jpz.q/s--1.
THEIR U VES AND
I
MRS. MARGARET JANE BRAY 47
wife. of Rev. John W. Bray, pastor of th~
~ Davison Unit~d Me thodist Church, died
~ July 30 followmg a prolonged illness. She
~ was born July 27, 1924, in Detroit the
daug hter of ~euben and Myrtle Mi~tele.
~ Her mother died when she was fi ve years
old. Later her fath er married Alameda
:nossback who became a mother to her
m the fullest dimensions of love. Mrs.
Bray graduated from Grosse Pointe High
Scho~l in ~942 and the Moody Bible Ins titute m Chicago where she met Mr. Bray.
They were married Dl!cember 29, 1947,
8:.
w hile he was a student at Adrian College.
They moved to Wilmore, Ky., in 1949
where her husband completed his schooling and then to F lint in 1952 where they
served the Flint Park Church until 1963
Mrs. John W. Bray
wh en Mr. Bray was appointed to the
Davison Church. M1·s. Bray was actively
involved in the life and ministry of the
church and church school and was always
a helpmate to her husband. She made a
miraculous recovery from brain surgery in
April 1967 but g radually failed aft er the
second operation in J anuary 1970. Indicative of her life and the dimensions of
her faith and strength was the fact that
she never complained throughout her long
illness. Besides her husband and four
children, John W. Jr., Jilayne W., J anelle
W., and Joanne W., she is survived by her
par ents, Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Mistele, and
three sisters, Mrs. Patricia Herzog, Mrs.
Linda Taylor and Mrs. Rochelle Krause.
A private family service of committal was
held at 10:30 a.m., August 3, at the Roseland Park Cemetery in Berkley, Memorial
servi~s were held in the Davison church
at 2 p.m., w ith Bishop Dwight E. Loder,
Dr. G. H. Kellermann and Rev. Walter
Fitton, president of the . Davison Ministerial Associa tion, officiating.
JANELLE W. BRAY and ROSS H.
STERN were married October 6, at the
Davison UMC. Officiating clergy was the
bride's father, Rev. John W. Bray, a
former pastor of the Davison church.
Janelle, a former resident of Davison , a
graduate of the Davison High School and
of the University of Michigan , is now the
operation manager of Trans World Travel
in Highland Park, Illinois. Ross, a former
resident of ltaca, New York, and graduate
of Cornell University, is an educational
'consultant and accountant with the Arthur
Anderson International Accounting Firm in
Chicago. The matron of honor for Janelle
was her sister, Jilayne Hill of Lapeer. The
flower girl was Janelle's niece, Farah Joy
Bray of Marquette, MI. Her escort and the
one who gave her in marriage was her
brother, John, of Marquette, MI. After their
honeymoon in Hawaii, Janelle and Ross
will reside in Wheaton, Illinois.
JOANNE WENDY BRAY and DAVID
VANLEUVEN were married at the Beverly Hills UMC, Birmingham , on September
7. The bride's father, Rev. John W. Bray
officiated at the ceremony. Joanne was
given in marriage by her brother, John of
Marquette. Attending her were her sisters,
Jilayne Hill of Lapeer and Janelle Stern of
Wheaton, Illinois. Guests at the wedding
were Joanne' s grandmothers, Mrs. Ethan
Bray of Lakeland, Florida and Mrs. R.W.
Mistele of St. Clair Shores; her aunt and
uncle, Dr. and Mrs. Darrell Holsteen of
Glen Ellyn, Illinois. After a honeymoon trip
through several western states they will
reside in Royal Oak.
9/#f.~/i-6....
John W. Bray: ".1 would like to be
reme~bered as a son who foliowed in his
father s footsteps and retired with th
sa~e conclusion: 'If I had a: thousand live:
to.llye, I :"'ould want to live them all in the
~mtstry. .It has been a joyous and fulfill~
tng expenence to do what I believed G0 d
had called me to do."
.
il13Cf
RE~. JOHN W. BRAY was honored by
pansh1oners at Beverly Hills UMC Birmingham at a dinner party and "ro~st" on
June 13. The occasion was the 40th anniversary of his first appointment as a student pastor while attending Adrian College. He was appointed to serve the churches at Somerset and Jerome. A surprise
was the arrival of family members; his
mother, Mrs. Ethan Bray from Glen Ellyn,
IL; his sister and husband, Dr. and Mrs.
Darrell Holstein from Glen Ellyn , IL; a
cousin , Mrs. Ray Venn from Skokie, IL
and each of his children ; Joanne
Vanleuvan from Atlanta, GA, Janelle and
Ross Stern from Wheaton, IL; Jilayne and
Robert Hill from Lapeer and John and
Debbie Bray, their children Farah and
John Ryan, from Marquette. There were
several guests from his former pastorate
in Davison and a former district
superintendent, Rev. and Mrs. Hugh
White.
/3/c??
p
PLE
THE REV. JOHN W. BRAY, pastor of
the Bei/erly H1lls OMC for the last ten
years, was honored at a retirement dinner
and program on June 10. Present for the
occasion were the members of his family , son John and his wife, Debbie, with
their children, Farah and John Ryan;
daughter Jilayne Hill with her husband,
-Bob, from-GranctBianc; datlghter Janelle
Stern with their twin sons , Brandon and
Christopher from Glen Ellyn, IL, and
daughter Joanne Van Leuven from Atlanta, GA. Many members of Mrs. Bray's
family were also present. In addition to the
family members were a number of friends
from his former churches in Davison and
St. John's in Royal Oak. Dr. Donald
Scavella was present to represent the
7/
People
THEIR LIVES AND EVENTS i
J/7/.fJI
ROSS AND JANELLE (BRAY) STERN
are the parents of twin sons, BRANDON
MICHAEL and CHRISTOPHER JAMES,
born on Feb. 19 at Glen Ellyn, IL. Grandparents are the Rev. and Mrs. John W.
f?_~'§' of the Beverly Hills UMC and the
Aev. and Mrs. M. Stern of Ithaca, NY.
The Rev.
John
w.
Bray
Area Conference office. After a delicious
dinner, a program was presented consisting of special music by the Chancel
Choir, vocal and instrumental solos, words
of tribute and the presentation of a money
gift . The Brays will be living at the River
Pines Condominiums in Farmington Hills.
Retired clergy look to new beginnings
JANET
A. LEE
MCA Correspondent
~/1r/~9
ADRIAN (MCA)- Retirement. Is it "an
illusion of grandeur meant to lure everyone
under false pretenses." Is it a word to en·
tice people to do nothing? In looking at the
group of new retirees from the Detroit An·
nual Conference, it is doubtful that they will
end up doing "nothing." It is more likely
that they will be doing that which they want
to do, when they want to do it , and enjoying it immensely.
And they will be continuing to contribute
something to the communities in which
they have chosen to reside. These
dedicated servants of God, may well contribute more now that they have the " time"
to do as they wish, for they know that life
is from birth to eternity, not just until
retirement.
It is good that God created humankind
with memories that allow us to keep the
past for the present. And as the past was
remembered it was obvious that this group
of retirees is a "people-loving group."
The Rev. Pat Zimmerman served as the
Master of Ceremonies for honoring the
retirees at Dawson Auditorium the afternoon of June 8. He presented statements
from the retirees saying how each wished
to be remembered. Each retiree and partner were then given time to share stories
-humorous, inspirational, challengingwith the Conference. After they spoke,
each was greeted by the bishop and
presented with a boutonniere or corsage.
The following persons were among
those honored on Thursday afternoon.
Each name is accompanied by a statement from the testimonial that appeared
in the Ministerial Retirees booklet, or their
own personal statement on how they wish
to be remembered.
Robert W. Boley: "I would like to be
remembered as one highly committed to
the c hurch and the Christian faith, to my
family, and to the pastoral ministry; that I
had some successes along the way, and
gave my total energy to the local churches,
which I was .t:lighly privileged to serve."
Guenther C. Branstner: " His outstanding strength is his preaching ability. His
overwhelming talent with words and enormous ability to place concepts and ideas
in your mind (and heart) make this pastor
an outstanding clergyman." (Robert M.
Guard)
John W. Bray: " I would like to be
reillembered as a son who followed in his
father's footsteps and retired with the
same conclusion: 'If I had a thousand lives
to live, I woul d want to live them all in the
ministry.' It has been a joyous and fulfilling experience to do what I believed God
had called me to do."
Kenneth R. Callis: "Ken was an inspiration to me when he was appointed my
•
The Rev. Frank Cozadd and
his wife, Fay, were among
clergy partners retiring from
active service this year. They
were honored in ceremonies
at Dawson Auditorium Thursday afternoon and at a
special dinner hosted by
Bishop Craig.
Counseling Elder, and remains so even
now as he enters retirement. His gifts of
ministry have been wisely used and all
who have been given the opportunity to
share his life have profited greatly. With
firm dedication, a true sense of mission,
and untiring zeal, he has served faithfully." (Dean Klump)
Bill Cooper: "A significant part of Bill's
ministry is related to the Emmaus Walk experience. His leadership in this movement
has had a decisive impact on those who
have participated in it. It has given the participants a greater awareness of the Holy
Spirit's presence in life. Perhaps no other
project has produced the results in the
spiritual life of our Annual Conference."
(Frank B. Cowick)
Frank A. Cozadd: " In the words of St.
Paul , 'God is not the author of confusion
. . . Let all things be done decently and
in order.' (I Cor. 14:33 & 40.) We are looking forward to the future with great anticipation and expectancy of 'those things
th~t are good and that deserve praise;
thmgs that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honorable.' This is not the end, it
is a new beginning . The secret to ministry
is to make your doing and having serve
your becoming.''
Ira L. Fett: "I trust that sincerity and love
have been the motivating factors of my
ministry, and that Jesus Christ has been
given the glory. My colleagues are my
brothers and sisters in Christ. It's a great
family to belong to."
Elizabeth O.K. Isaacs: "As I think of the
simple strength of childlike faith and the
commitment to put one's hand to the plow
and never look back, but to follow Christ
completely, I th ink of my mother. She has
not only been a unique model for ministry,
but she has especially been a 'living
reminder of Christ' throughout the whole
of her life." (Rev. Mary Isaacs Frost)
Jack R. Lancaster: " I would like my
ministry to be remembered as a trust in
God to work out His programs for reaching
His people. I have felt my style of ministry
was a God-designed vehicle for carrying
on His work in His church . I have always
tried to lead my churches into a positive
Christianity. I have believed that out of the
soil of each church, God would give fruits
if I was faithful."
Clare R. Patton: " Throughout his 27
years of pastoral service Clare has remained faithful to his calling and to hi s Lord.
Church structures were remodeled , improved, and enlarged. People were blessed in various w~ys. Lives were changed
and many added to the membership of the
church. It was evident that God gave Clare
the special gift of counseling with individuals in a fruitful way." (Cecelia C.
Learn-Jordan)
J . Frank Dennis: "I should like to have
my ministry remembered with two things.
I have dedicated my life to helping others
as well as myself to see the miracle in the
commonplace. And though the path may
be strange, 1 will not be afraid , for I know
I can count on your presence both in my
life and with me, for that is the promise." 0
•
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FAM1LY PARTICIPATION SHEET
Reii
Full legal name of one being remembered:
Date of Birth:
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Spouse of: . Lle.anneZR::
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Date ofDeath:
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Married:
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12 ~z. . .
years.
Information for the short Statement to be read during the service: Words of celebration
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If ember of a clergy fatruly, please hst known appomtments m Detroit Conference;
OR if lay person, please list church membership and conference/district areas of service & years.
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Name ofperson/s designated to come forward during the service (and relationship to deceased)
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Please reserve __;i__ seats for family & friends.
If you or members of your family are unable to attend this service, we hope you will contact a
friend who may participate in the service on the family's behalf Who will this person be:
Name:
----------------------------- Telephone: - - - - - - - - - - Address:
---------------------------------------------------------
Who should I contact if additional information is needed: Relationship:
Name:
Address:
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Please feel free to write additional comments on the back of this form .
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Please return this information sheet to me as soon as possible. A stamped return envelop is
enclosed for your convenience. If you have questions please call me.
Janice Caldwell ~ Memorial Service Coordinator
17543 Garfield, #G2, Redford, Ml 48240-2181
Telephone: 313-541-6171
E-Mail: caldwellpresumc@yahoo.com
,s-
Detroit Annual Conference
The United Methodist Chu.rch
Information for Memoirs
Date of deat~~i/ Place .of death._---"7"
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=------- Age at death
Please enclose a cop/of an
.If you wish to
obitu~ry" and a pictUre . Th_e picture will_ be returned.
~d9 inform~tiontha~ is
no t printed.in the obituary·, please do so beJow.
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sch~oVcollege information · . ~ . ~- · -~~ . o,/'dryc~
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REV. JOHN WESLEY BRAY
Memorial Services for the Rev. John Wesley Bray, 78 of Farmington Hills will be held at II a.m.
Monday, April 28°' at the Ward Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Northville, MI. Private
burial will follow at Roselawn Cemetery in Royal Oak.
Rev. Bray was born September 23, 1924 in Chicago, Illinois and died April 17, 2003 at home.
He is survived by his wife Jan; son John (Debbie) Bray, Jr; daughters
Jila~ne
(Robert) Hill,
Janelle (Ross) Stern, Joanne,(David) VanLeuvan and sister Muriel (Darrell) Holsteen of Glen
Ellyn, Illinois; He was preceded in death by his brother William, and Margaret the mother of his
children. He is survived also by his step-son Brady Harris, step-daughters Shari Harris and Jill
(Paul) Geyer; mother-in-law Ethel Juntunen, brother-in-law, Roy (Karen) Juntunen, sister-in-law
Lois Wright; eight grandchildren and seven step-grandchildren.
He ~ttended Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, Adrian College where he received his B.A., and
)
Asbury Theological Seminary where his received his Master of Divinity.
Subsequent to his retirement he served as pastor of the Beverly Hills United Methodist Church.
Previous Michigan churches he served include the Flint Park Church, the Methodist Church in
Davison and St. Johns Church in Royal Oak. While in the Flint District, he served as President
of the Flint District Ministerial Association and also as chairperson of the District Board of
Missions. In later years he served as secretary of the Detroit Annual Conference.
Upon his retirement, he served as a part-time minister of visitation for six years at the Free
Methodist Church ·Kt Dearborn .
Memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice of Michigan, 400 Mack Ave., Detroit MI
48201.
. THE REv. joHN BRAY,
retired Detroit Conference
clergyman, died Apr. 1,7 and a
memorial service was held on
Apr. 28 at Ward Presbyterian
Church of Northville. He
.served churches in Jerome,
Somerset Center, Flint, Davison, Royal Oak and Beverly
Hills and retired in 1989. He
is survived by his wife, Jeannette Bray, 22015 River Ridge
Trail, Farmington, MI 48335
,
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