Ramon Wesley Sammons, 88, of Tucson, Arizona, died August 11, 2021. He was born September 14, 1932, in Windham, Montana, the son of James and Carrie (Garrett) Sammons. He was the youngest of 2 siblings. On September 14, 1958, he married Phyllis Hansine Hoff, who survives.

For the past thirty years, Ray Sammons has been living in Tucson, Arizona, and was married to his wife, Phyllis (Hoff) Sammons, for sixty-three years filled with joy and adventures. Dr. Sammons holds a Bachelor of Theology degree from Multnomah University, Portland, Oregon, and an MS and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana. Ray was an entrepreneur, owning his own business for twenty years and traveling twice around the world on consulting projects. In addition, he was a veteran of the Navy, serving in the Philippines during the Korean War. 

Ray became a passionate Jesus follower in 1940 and combined his theological and economic training into daily Christian living, influencing generations by tirelessly sharing the good news of the Gospel. He is the author of two books: Job—The Finest Man in All the Earth, where he treats Job as a rancher and businessman, who worships God for who He is and not for what He does, and Dead But Living – Understanding Christ’s Life in You where he rephrased the books of Galatians and James for the twenty-first-century reader. He also taught accounting and theology at three universities, including the University of Arizona.

Dr. Sammons was an elder in the Presbyterian Church, served as interim pastor, and taught Sunday school classes for many years. He is a devoted student of the apostle Paul’s life, and in 2007 he toured Turkey and Greece following Paul’s footsteps.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Steven and Suzanne (Althoff) Sammons of Nashville, Tennessee; son Stacy Sammons of Tucson, Arizona; grandchildren, Wesley Sammons of Tucson, Arizona; Kailey Sammons of Tucson, Arizona; Blair and Annie (Henninger) Sammons of Camus, Washington; Garrett and Alex (Western) Sammons of Ypsilanti, Michigan; Erik and Hannah (Nord) Mendoza of Portland Oregon; Chase Sammons of Bullhead City, Arizona; Riley Mendoza of Nashville, Tennessee; Jack Sammons of Nashville, Tennessee; great-granddaughters, Ruby Sammons and Luna Sammons.

Dr. Sammons was preceded in death by his brother and sister-in-law, James Berle and Irene (Merchant) Sammons, and parents James Elvin and Carrie (Garrett) Sammons.

Ray leaves a powerful legacy as a devoted father, a loving brother, a godly husband, a best friend, a phenomenal grandfather, a child of God, and in the words of his wife, “perfect, in every way possible.”