Ray Funeral Home
119 North Market Street ||| Madison, NC 27025 ||| (336) 548-9606
Earliest of records show the operation of the Knight-Ray Funeral Home during the early 1930’s. By 1936, Vance Ray and his wife, Lydia Ray, formed the Ray Funeral Home at its current location of 119 North Market Street in Madison.
The original wooden house went through major renovations in 1952 with the addition of a second story and brick veneering. By 1981, the corner lot beside the funeral home became the new home of the current chapel and breezeway.
The funeral home remained under the ownership of the Ray family until 1986. It was at that time, the ownership was passed from the Ray family to the Forbis family, owners of the Forbis & Dick Funeral Service in Greensboro. This allowed the Forbis family to expand and continue the quality of funeral service it was noted for in Guilford County, into Rockingham County, and later into Stokes County and Davie County.
In 1997, with the desire to enhance funeral service and to create a more comforting atmosphere for bereaved families, the Forbis family planned the removal and replacement of the old house with a new structure. This new facility would contain spacious visitation rooms, more accommodating arrangement office space, a new casket selection room and a business office, along with a state-of-the-art embalming room. The chapel and automotive garage were also renovated at this time.
