Imogene Holmberg Ray

On Saturday, September 6, 1919, Imogene Holmberg was born in New Sweden, Texas. Imogene was beautiful baby girl with auburn hair and a peachy face who was adored by all, especially her Mother's sisters!! A country girl growing up in far Northeastern Travis County, her Grandfather Holmberg immigrated from Smaland, Sweden to Texas in 1870, changing his name to Holmberg from Anderson because there were too many Andersons on the ship! Working as a laborer on the I.N.G.N. railroad until he saved enough money to buy a farm, he taught his family to love his new country and the value of hard work. Imogene knew what frugal meant growing up in the 1920's with her brother Elton. The one-room schoolhouse she attended was the norm. She attended New Sweden Lutheran Church, which was the first building constructed by her Swedish ancestors---even before their own houses and barns! She helped her mother at the local telephone office connecting different lines to other places in town. Graduating from Manor High School Imogene longed to move from the farm into the big city! Many of her hard-working relatives had found employment at Scarborough's in downtown Austin. So, she went to Scarborough's only to find out initially that there was nothing available. However, the hiring supervisor recognized her last name. He said, I think I do have something available, and so she landed her first job, modeling women's clothes, and her first duty, much to her embarrassment, was lingerie!!! Her relatives working there were appalled and made sure that every inch of her was completely covered. Imogene stayed with a cousin and lived on the sofa in the living room and was very happy. No more being a country girl, now she was a city girl! Then she met the love of her life, a former Hutto High School football player, Melvin Norman Ray. They were married in June of 1940, and eleven months later they had a darling little boy, Dennis, with dark wavy hair. Melvin's work as a bus driver was essential for the War Effort (WWII). Consequently, they moved from Austin, to Cuero, to Gonzales and then to Victoria where later Melvin found a more productive life at Dupont. They joined the The First Christian Church and were frequent volunteers. Melvin made items from wood to be sold at the church fund raisers. Dennis grew up in Victoria, learned to swim, joined Boy Scout's, went to Victoria Junior College and moved to Austin, graduating with honors from The University of Texas in 1963. He worked in Austin for a while and then moved to San Francisco where many of his friends were going. Imogene and Melvin had 47 years together. Imogene, a dutiful wife, enjoyed going to antique car shows and too many parades where Melvin would ride bicycles for the local Shrine and entertain the crowds. They loved to travel and took trips with their friends and family whenever possible. After Melvin passed away in 1987, Imogene moved to Austin, bought a condo and settled where she had many friends and relatives. Imogene was an avid game player and played card games of all kinds and loved playing dominoes and board games whenever she could. In 1990, Dennis passed away. In 2011 she moved to New Braunfels and lived in Oak Tree Assisted Living, until she became ill and moved to Eden Hill, where she passed away on February 7, 2016. Imogene is predeceased by her mother, Elizabeth Smith Holmberg, and father, Hjalmar Holmberg, brother, Elton ("Red') Holmberg and wife, Carterette Dixon Holmberg. She is survived by niece: Claudette Ray White (Richard) of Fairfield, TX, and their children, Lisa Taylor (Jeff), and children Christen and Brian Baize, Sally Taylor (Michael), and Miki White (Ray) and their son, Gabriel. A niece, Katharyn Holmberg Bock (Bennie), of New Braunfels, their children, Lucretia Carole Bock of New Braunfels, Suzanne Bock Badger(Brian) and her children, Rachel and Ben Badger, of Nashville, TN; a nephew, Norman Holmberg and his daughter Elizabeth Holmberg, Boulder, CO. The family is grateful to Oak Tree Assisted Living and their administrator, Karen Wolf, and her valuable staff for making Imogene's home for four years more enjoyable and Eden Hill. Living in the most changing technological era anyone could imagine, Imogene was never sorry for any of it, including the changes that brought her a better life! Graveside services will be on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. at New Sweden Cemetery, Manor, Texas. A reception will be held in New Braunfels at a later date.