Ray was the son of Raymond and Vivian (Reiter) Methlie. Born February 13, 1942 he was raised in Des Moines and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1960. He was on the diving team and was a lifeguard at Holiday Pool in West Des Moines for three summers.

Ray married Linda Mason in 1966. The couple moved to Indianola in 1970 and raised two sons, Erik and Tony.

Ray was employed by Look Magazine, the Iowa Air National Guard and Super Valu Warehouse, retiring from the latter in May, 2001, after thirty-three years of service.

Ray coached and served on the board of the Indianola Little League for five years. He enjoyed boating, water-skiing and sharing the boat with family and friends. As of late, he found enjoyment in watching his friend, Casey Blake, play with the Cleveland Indians and solving the daily Jumble. He also had an ability to fix anything and enjoyed being the handyman to family and friends.

Ray was proud of his sons and grand-children and enjoyed attending their sporting events when his health allowed.

He was preceded in death by his parents. Survivors include, sons Erik (Julie) Methlie of Altoona and Tony Methlie of Des Moines; grandsons Gunnar, Heath and Jake; step-grandchildren Ean and Ellen Johnson all of Altoona; cousins Rebecca Reiter of Iowa City and Ove Methlie of Oslo, Norway and his best friend Bonnie McKinney of Indianola.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Alcoholics Anonymous or Indianola Little League. Ray was an organ donor and per his wishes, his remains have been cremated and an informal memorial gathering will be held at Overton Funeral Home, Indianola, IA on Thursday, June 28, 2007 starting at 6 p.m. and ending with a service that will start at 7:30 p.m.