My Life Before Prison

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My parents (Mr. Mose Ray, Jr. and Mrs. Mary Alice Ray) were married for almost 60 years and raised 7 kids in Sarasota, Florida. I was born on April 23, 1966, the youngest. R.I.P. Mom & Pop and my oldest sister Francina (bottom right) standing behind 7-yr. old me.

Here in the late 1970's I was 10  yrs. old playing for Sarasota Ringling Redskins Little League Football team. 

Here #15 was me at age 13 playing basketball for Sarasota Boys Club in the late 1970's 

At 15 yrs old I was a member of the 1982  Sarasota, Florida Booker High School State Basketball Championship Team (red arrow) and had my first child months later. I dropped the ball on early fatherhood. 

At Booker High School in 1982 enjoying my student life in this radio and television  class.

In February 2012, after being incarcerated for nearly 17-yrs. in the Georgia Department of Corrections, I was released from the Valdosta Transitional Center and moved in with my Family in Virginia Beach, VA.  I hit the ground moving forward full speed ahead!  Life is great! 

A couple of weeks after my release I immediately obtain my State of Virginia Driver's Licence and enrolled in truck driving school. In May 2012, I graduated from  ATI {Advanced Technology Institute) with my Class A CDL ( Commercial Driver License). I started looking for a truck driving career but end up working in a warehouse (ARTFX) in Norfolk, Va, from June 2012 to August 2012.

In June 2012, I did my first Motivational inspirational speech sharing both my LIFE and TRAIN STORIES with 100 youth incarcerated at the Chesapeake Juvenile Service Center in Chesapeake, VA. I hope I helped motivated and inspired one or more of them kids to stay on the right track of life.

In August 2012, I was by TFC ( Tidewater Fabre Corporation) in Chesapeake, Virginia as a Vispa driver, Rear-Load driver, Side-Arm-Load driver, and Front-End-Load commercial driver.  The journey was great! In 2016 I departed from TFC and was hired  in 2017 by another trash and reclycled company as a commercial Front-End Loader driver.

In 2015 just before the ATI television commercial, while on my TFC route one Saturday morning on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, I met a Beautiful woman by the name of Raphaela Garris at the Accomac County Landfill. She was a scale operator. She also was a track & field student-athlete graduate from Arcadia H.S. and previously graduated from HBCU Virginia State University ( Bachelor of Science in B

Two years later in December 2017, we got married in Virginia Beach. Va., and became Mr. Dexter & Mrs. Raphaela Ray.  This year December 13, 2024, we'll be celebrating our 7th Anniversary. The "TRAIN DRAWING" changed my life, but Raffy changed my WORLD.  She was also 5-months pregnant the day we got married.

The next year on April 26, 2018, our Miracle Raphaela Ray was born in Norfolk, Virginia.   5 1/2 years later. Me and Raffy have been Blessed with raising this beautiful little girl who is the root of our family tree.  She's gonna be a Tennis sensation one day and business owner.

A year later we co-founded a 501 (c)(3) Virginia non-profit organization called, I'M TRAIN READY,"  to help feed the underprivileged and mentor at-risk people in Hampton Roads. We had dozens of awesome volunteers and partner with several National and local established organizations helping our cause.  After our 9th event we had fed over 5K adults and kids before COVID hit in 2020. See below  Chann