My heart is aching for a very dear friend of mine. My college roommate Janelle. Such a sweet lady. I remember her well, and have fond memories of her, memories I'll never forget. Her husband Ray was killed in combat in Afghanistan a few days ago, fighting for the freedom of people he's never even met. He leaves behind 4 small children. Words can never express the deep ache, the loss, the sadness, the shock of what has happened. What an amazing guy he was. I never had the chance to meet Ray. I knew of him years ago. Jan waited for him while he served an LDS mission, and he returned just after she left for her mission. They have been life loves. This was his third tour, and he was doing what he felt was right, and needed to be done. He was sacrificing so my children could have a better life. Jan and Ray's earth mission may have come to an end, but I know they are an eternal family and that he is waiting for her right now. Ray was a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a soldier, and an American Hero. Please pray for his family, and never forget the sacrifice of those that keep us safe. Pray for them everyday. Pray for their safety, and strength for their families.The Plan of the Master Weaver
by - author unknown
Our lives are but fine weavings that God and we prepare,
Each life becomes a fabric planned and fashioned in His care.
We may not always see just how the weavings intertwine,
But we must trust the Master's hand and follow His design,
For He can view the pattern upon the upper side,
While we must look from underneath and trust His hand to guide...
Sometimes a strand of sorrow is added to His plan,
And though it's difficult for us, we still must understand
That it's He who fills the shuttle, it's He who knows what's best,
So we must weave in patience and leave to Him the rest.
Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why...
The dark threads are as needed in the Weaver's skillful hand.
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.
An article about him from the Salt Lake Tribune:
It was an uncommon summer — as if something had brought them together to say their final goodbyes.
Just two months after his family staged one of its first reunions in years, Capt. Ellery “Ray” Wallace was killed in Afghanistan when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle. The 33-year-old University of Utah grad died Sunday.
“The Lord was preparing us for it,” said his younger sister Jessica Bayless, who described the end-of-June reunion as divinely inspired for bringing all seven siblings together for a last time.
Wallace had hardly reached Afghanistan when he was hit. He announced his arrival in mid-August, musing to Facebook friends that the countryside “kind of looks like Utah.”
“Well the good news is … wait, is being here in Afghanistan good news?” he quipped in second lighthearted post to family and friends. Wallace was on patrol in Babur when his vehicle came under attack.
Wallace wasn’t a native of Utah. But he followed his sweetheart to the Beehive State, where he eventually was married and completed a bachelor’s degree in sociology and criminology. He was currently working toward a master’s degree in business online.
But Wallace’s heart had always been in the military. He had dreamed since childhood of following in his grandfather’s footsteps and becoming a soldier, Bayless said. It was a fitting career path for a protective big brother who once tailed Bayless during her first date to make sure she was treated well.
Wallace joined the Army in Salt Lake City. And when he received his captain’s bars, they came from his grandfather, Elton DeWayne Wallace. He later was assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Ky.
Bayless described her brother as a man who put God, family and country first — in that order.
Bayless said her brother would have been proud to give his life for his country.
“He always felt the sacrifice for freedom was worth it, no matter the cost,” Bayless said. “He was protecting his family and his country.”
Wallace leaves behind a wife, Janelle L. Wallace; and four children, Liam, Adara, Kael and Ehlana; who live in Clarksville, Tenn. He also is survived by his parents, Elton DeWayne and Elaine Wallace, who reside in Elkhart, Texas.
The family plans to bury Wallace in his boyhood town of Big Spring, Texas, where he’ll have a perfect resting place: beside his grandfather.
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