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The
LOFTIN
Family
Tree

______

Sam
William
Loftin

(1918 - 1979)

Alonzo
Lester
Loftin

(1876 - 1937)

William Alexander
Loftin

(1851 - 1939)

James
Franklin
Loftin

(1827 - 1864)

Thomas
Loftin

(1798 - 185?)

James
Loftin

(1768 - 1836)

John
Loftin

(1740 - 1793)

Cornelius
Loftin III

(1714 - 1785)

Cornelius
Loftin II

(1675 - 1735)

Cornelius
Loftin I

(1648 - 1735)

Leonard
"Laughton"
Loftin

(1610 - 1678)

_______


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Corzine
Fink
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Kaiser
Leslie
Lewis
Moore
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William Ray Loftin

 

Born: 26 Dec 1943, Newton, Catawba County, NC
Died:  19 Aug 2005, Hickory, Catawba County, NC

 
 

 

                     

William "Billy" Ray Loftin was the first child born to Sam William Loftin and Willie Aleen Goble.  Sam was 25 and Willie was 18 at the time of Billy Ray's birth.

 

Willie and Sam had been visiting with her parents on Christmas Day 1943 when it started to snow.  While there, Willie went into labor and Sam had to go get his brother Mike’s car in order to drive her to the hospital in Newton.

Because of the heavy snow, other family members had to push the car at times as Sam attempted to drive Willie through the snow to the hospital.   At one point Sam even had to walk and get some horses to pull the car up a hill, as they continued to the hospital in Newton. 

Billy Ray was born over 12 hours later on December 26, 1943 around 10 P.M.

(Right) Billy Ray Loftin

 

Willie's memories of Billy Ray's birth
(Recorded 10 Dec 2008)

(Duration 1:48; Size 2.07 MB)

Click Here

                                     
 
 

Sam, Willie & Billy Ray, 1944

 
 
                                     
 

Billy Ray with his 1st Cousin, Louise Loftin (Potter)

 
 

 
                                     
 

 
                                     
   

Billy Ray with his Uncle, Charlie Loftin

   

 

                                     
                                     
                                     

Campmeeting photos, 1945

 

                                     
                                     
 

On one wintry evening while living on E. Bandy Rd., Willie discovered that Billy Ray was missing in the middle of the night.  He was 3 or 4 years old at the time.  Willie remembers crying and saying, “it’s so cold outside - he’ll freeze to death.”  Eventually, however, he was found in the spare bedroom under a stack of clothes.  He told them he had been cold in his room and climbed under the clothes to keep warm.

 
 
 

All of these photos were taken when Billy Ray's maternal Grandparents, Martin & Nessie Goble, lived in the Murphy Jones house on Alley Road, just off of Sherrills Foard Rd. in Catawba County.

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
The family lived in this house (below Left) on Dexter Path, off of Shiloh Church Rd, in Catawba County, when Billy Ray was a baby.  The house was brand new - Sam had just completed building it for his growing family.  Eventually Sam would build the family a larger home (below Right) on E. Bandy's Rd in Catawba County.  The house had indoor plumbing and even a basement.
 

  

 

 
 
 

Billy Ray with Carol Kirksey, a friend from church

 
 
 
 

This photo form around 1947 shows Billy Ray as a 4-year-old

 
 
 
 

The family attended Mathis Chapel Baptist Church in Catawba County.

 

Billy Ray with Sam & Willie at Mathis Chapel Baptist Church

 
 
 
Willie became pregnant around 1948 but miscarried.  She became pregnant again in 1952.  Billy Ray gained a "little brother" on 08 May 1953 when Curtis Dean was born.
 
 
 

Billy Ray's boyish handwriting (as a young boy) on the back of a family photo of Curtis

 

 
 
 
 
Sam built another house on Hwy. 10 for a relative.  When the cousin's loan was not approved by the bank to buy the house, Sam decided to sell his house on E. Bandy's and move the family into the new house on Hwy. 10 (below).
 

 
 
                                     
Billy Ray started 1st Grade in the fall of 1949 at Balls Creek Elementary School.  Willie had bought him new clothes for the occasion and he had been attending for a few weeks when Sam was called into the school.  There was a problem: Billy was just 5 and didn't turn 6 until December 26th, and the county's cut-off date for was in October.  He wouldn't be allowed to come back till next year.  So, he "officially" started school in the fall of 1950.
 
 

School Photos

3rd Grade                                  4th Grade                                  5th Grade

 

6th Grade                                                              8th Grade

   

 

10th Grade                                                              11th Grade

 

 

12th Grade

 
 
 
Billy Ray met and married Mattie Diane Self on 23 Dec 1961 while he was still a Senior at Bunker Hill High School.  Diane was born 09 Sep 1942 in Catawba County, NC.
 

 

Bill and Diane moved in with Sam & Willie for 6 months till he could finish high school.  The house only had two bedrooms, but they managed to find enough room.  There's an old saying, "a house filled with love has elastic walls".  Bill's maternal Grandfather was also living with the family at the time.  Bill & Diane got the 2nd bedroom.  Grandpa Martin Goble and Curtis (who was 8) slept in a "single" bed in the den.

 

They eventually rented a small house overlooking the lake at Murray's Mill.

 

     

 

                                     
                                     

 

                                   
Children of William Ray Loftin and Mattie Diane Self
Name Birth Date Death Date Spouse
Beverly Ann Loftin 1963   Richard Allen Kale
William Ray Loftin, Jr. 1964   (1) Lindsay Reid Bolick
(2) Kay Louise Glenn
Leif Eric Loftin 1969   (1) Roxanne Marie Gardner
(2) Sydney Suzanne Brown
Crystal Annette Loftin 1970   (1) Mark Anthony Burgin
(2) Mark Kiser
 
 
 

1964 - Bill & Diane with Beverly at Bill's parent's home in Catawba

 
 
 
 

Bill & Diane at Billy & Kay's Wedding with their children
(Left to Right) Eric, Willie (Bill's mother), Bill, Kay, Billy, Diane, Beverly and Crystal

 
 
 
 

Bill spent most of his adult life working as an Insurance Agent at Western Southern Insurance.

 

Bill and Diane's home in Conover

 
 
 

Bill died 19 Aug 2005 at the age of 61.  He is buried in the Conover Cemetery.

 
 

Bill's Obituary

 

  

 

 

 
 
 
 
SOURCES
 

A special thanks to Willie Goble Loftin, Helen Goble Sigmon and Brenda Isenhour Schronce for the photos of Bill and his family.

 
 
 
 

If you have additional information or photo of William Ray Loftin, please contact me.