Ray Stinnett

Ray Clarence "Teet" Stinnett, 85, of Cleveland/Benton, Tennessee passed away peacefully under the care of Wonderful Homes in Cleveland on Thursday, September 18th, 2025.

Ray is preceded in death by his late wife Martha Ann Cain Stinnett; his son, Ricky Stinnett, step-son, Rick Slack; brothers Alvin Stinnett, Carl (wife Linda) Stinnett, Douglas Stinnett, and sisters Ruth Powers, Edith Jones and Lucy Stinnett (Joe Rodriguez).

Ray is survived by his wife Hazel Slack Stinnett; children Debbie (husband Barry) Jenkins, David Stinnett, and Tammy (husband Jerry) Fields all of Cleveland, TN; daughter-in-law Katie Stinnett of Springfield, MO; step-daughter Brenda Slack-Branam of Cleveland, TN; grandchildren Joseph Keel, Geoffrey Keel, Alex Stinnett, Matthew Jenkins, Jennifer Mowery, Trevor Knoblauch, Caitlin Stinnett, Trevor Thomas Branam, Jeremy Walsh, and Skylar Walsh; brothers Guinn (wife Brenda) Stinnett, Jerry Stinnett, and brother-in-law Willard Jones; and many loving great-grandchildren, in-laws, nieces and nephews and the Temple Baptist Church family.

Ray Stinnett was born in Benton, TN to William Armstrong Stinnett and Mildred Ardenia Stinnett in 1940. He and his wife Martha moved from Polk County in 1957 and settled in Cleveland, TN, where they raised a family and enjoyed caring for children. He retired after decades in the appliance industry, working at Brown Stove Works, Magic Chef, and finishing his career at Maytag. He also worked many years as a subcontractor under Franklin Taylor at Springdale Air Conditioning Company. In 2013, Ray's beloved wife Martha passed away after 56 happy years of marriage.

Ray was blessed to remarry at age 82 to Hazel Slack. The couple enjoyed making friends in town, eating at their favorite diner, and taking short trips and drives in the mountains.

Ray took an avid, lifetime interest in agriculture and horticulture. He enjoyed spending time in the mountains, watching NASCAR, and tending to his garden - in particular his prized Angel Trumpets.

A visitation and memorial service will be held at the Chapel at Companion Funeral Service of Cleveland (2412 Georgetown Rd, Cleveland, TN, 37311). Visitation will be 4:00-8:00pm on Tuesday, September 23rd and 12:00-1:00pm Wednesday, September 24th, with a memorial service to follow on Wednesday September 24th, to begin at 1:00pm. Graveside service will take place at Benton Memorial Gardens (217 Patty Rd, Benton, TN, 37307) on Wednesday, following the memorial service.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Wonderful Homes Assisted Living (wonderfulhomesal.com / 294 Old Charleston Rd NE, Cleveland, TN 37312).