Robert Vernon Bray

Robert Vernon Bray went home to be with his Savior, Jesus Christ on Friday, November 14th. He will be remembered as beloved husband, father, "Papa", son, brother, and friend.

He is preceded in death by his father, Raymon Benson Bray. He leaves behind his wife of 42 years, Cathy, his children Robert (Virginia) Traylor, Jonathon (Carolina) Bray, Julie (Nathan) Adams, Rebecca (Jonathan) Adams, thirteen grandchildren, his mother Clara Bray, and his sister Rebecca (JB) Bodie.

Bob was born in Mobile, Alabama and moved to the east coast of Florida with his family when he was five years old. After living in a few Florida locations, Bob and Cathy got married and moved to Port Charlote, Florida, living in their home for 37 years and enjoying "Bray Park". Graduation and birthday parties, family gatherings, and fire pit gatherings with smores were an integral part of the Bray Family life. In 2023, a move to Georgia to be near family and receive more help was necessary. Moving into a lovely home in a 55+ was a peaceful, calm place to live out the remainder of his life; enjoying visits with family, grandchildren, friends, and Sunday evening dinners with his sister and brother-in-law.

Graduating from University of South Florida with an accounting degree, he then received his MBA from Impact University and had various jobs in accounting. His experience and leadership qualities brought him to Murdock Family Medicine as the Administrator for nine years. Bob was instrumental in negotiating the acquisition of Murdock Family Medicine by Millennium Physician Group and joined MPG as their second employee. He worked as an executive for Millennium for 20 years, leading teams in acquisition and integration of new providers and independent physicians. Millennium Physician Group grew to serve hundreds of thousands of patients across the State of Florida. His Millennium team shared that Bob was commonly recognized as a principled and faithful servant who brought balance to difficult circumstances and ensured caring for people came first.

Because Bob was a man of great faith in God, he desired to use his skill and expertise in areas that were not in the "business world", but he desired to be used to further the Kingdom of God. He had the honor and true blessing to lead committees, teams, and individuals in the ministries of Family Church (First Baptist Church, Port Charlotte). Being on the ground level to assist in the founding of Grace Christian School was an incredible blessing for Bob and Cathy. On a Florida state level, he held board positions for Florida Baptist Foundation and Church Growth Investment, Inc. Building strong support and care for their family and serving in ministry together was foundational in their marriage. The essence of Bob and Cathy Bray!

Bob loved the world of sports and was well-versed in sports trivia. He loved coaching basketball, supporting his grandchildren at their sporting events, and cheering on his beloved Florida Gators. He could always be found standing on the sideline or with a game streaming on his iPad.

Bob was a quiet man of few words and came to be referred to by friends as E.F. Hutton. "When E.F. Hutton speaks, the world listens." This made him laugh because he was a humble man and desired to simply do a good job at whatever he had to do and love folks in his simple way.

He will be missed, but his sweet smile and his quiet wisdom will be cherished and will live on in the hearts of many who loved this imperfect, but very good man! 

Cathy expressed, "How honored I am to have had this amazing, hard, wonderful, full life with Bob Bray for 42 years! What a ride!! I'll see you again soon, my beloved!" XOX

In lieu of flowers, perhaps you would consider a contribution, in his memory, to the ministry of Grace Christian School. 6831 SW Senate Street; Arcadia, Florida, 34269.

A service celebrating Robert's life will be held this Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 1:00 pm at Freedom Bible Church located at 5550 S. Sumter Blvd. in North Port, FL.