ST. TAMMANY PARISH, LA. Obituary for: RAY, NORA ESTER MORALES Submitted by: Louis Lavedan. Source: E.J. Fielding Funeral Home, Covington, La. Died: Tuesday, January 17, 2017 ======================================================================= Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgenweb.org/volunteers/copyright.shtml ======================================================================= RAY, NORA ESTER MORALES October 18, 1936 - January 17, 2017 ========== A photo is available for this file. Please go to http://usgwarchives.net/la/sttammany/obits/dateobits/2017/st1701.htm and click to view list of photos. ========== Nora Ester Morales Ray passed to her eternal rest and reward on Tuesday, January 17, 2017, in the company and love of family and friends at her home in Mandeville, Louisiana. She was born in 1936 in Managua, Nicaragua, to Andres Morales Ortega and Luisa Jara Somoza de Morales. Nora is survived by her sons David Planchard of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Steven Planchard of New York, New York; her brother Andres Morales of Bush, Louisiana; step-sons Kent Ray of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Carl Ray of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Alan Ray of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and her first husband, Jerry Planchard of Mason, Ohio, father of David, Robert and Steven. She was the fiercely proud grandmother of 11 beautiful grandchildren, and loving aunt to numerous nieces and nephews. Nora was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Andres and Luisa; her husband of 35 years, Dick Ray; her son Robert Planchard of Boulder, Colorado; and her brother Luis of Bush, Louisiana. A proud native of the Central American nation of Nicaragua, Nora immigrated to the United States in the 1950s, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1963. Though a new arrival in this country and a non-native speaker of English, she finished in the top of her class at Academy of the Holy Angels in New Orleans, Louisiana. Faced with the need to enter the workforce to support her young family, she rose over the course of a career of over two decades from the secretarial pool to the managerial ranks in her field of human resources with the Exxon Corporation in successive postings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baytown, Texas and Florham Park, New Jersey. Following her retirement, she traveled extensively with Dick, throughout Europe in particular and on regular trips to her childhood home in San Marcos, Nicaragua. Nora and Dick returned in 2000 to Louisiana, where she set up a beautiful home in Mandeville and indulged her passion for bridge, social rounds of mah-jongg, and cherished time with family and friends. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Anselm Catholic Church, 306 St. Mary Street, Madisonville, on Saturday, January 28, 2017, at 10:30 a.m., preceded by visitation from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Immediately following Mass, a Celebration of Life reception will be held at the Beau Chêne Country Club. A private interment will follow at St. Joseph Abbey Cemetery. ===================