Wray Mathew Stitch was born to Mathew and Bertha Stitch on August 17, 1921. He graduated from St. Charles High School in Minnesota, and continued his education at the Winona State Teacher's College.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wray enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the age of 21 and began a twenty-three year career with the United States Air Force.
On July 25, 1944, his bomber was shot down during an attack on a German tank factory at Linz, Austria. He was captured by German civilians and imprisoned at Stalug Luft I, a prison camp for airmen near Barth, Germany.

Wray married Ruby Irene Ruth in September of 1946. After he retired as a Lt. Colonel in Great Falls, Montana, the family
moved to Lompoc in 1965.

Wray pursued his college degree and earned a B.A. in History from Chapman University. He was instrumental in the groundbreaking of the Lompoc Center of Allan Hancock College and encouraged an appreciation of the arts with his children and attended numerous piano and dance recitals. In the community, Wray was a founding father of Vandenberg Federal Credit Union and supported the Lompoc Mural Society and the Lompoc Pops Orchestra. He also continued support of the country's military by serving as a National Service Officer for the Veteran's Administration. His efforts brought assistance to Ex-POW's through the realization of benefits. A member of the Vandenberg AFB Distinguished Visitor's List, he spoke from the heart at several public ceremonies such as Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, POW-MIA Day, and the Anniversary of D-Day. He was a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and American Ex-POW's and earned the honor of Lompoc's Man of the Year 2002.

After the death of his wife in 1998, Wray continued to be a loving father and leaves behind sons and their wives, Wayne and Agnes Stitch of Lompoc, and Gary and Mary Stitch of Templeton; daughters, and their husbands, Jeanne and Barney Truman of Lompoc, Teresa and Daniel Pereida of Kailua-Kona, and Lori and Kent Thayer of Torrance; fourteen grandchildren and one great-grandson. He was preceded in death by his brothers Byrl and Elvis Stitch and sister Olive Koepsell.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, September 10, 2009 at Bethany Lutheran Church, 135 South E Street in Lompoc with a reception immediately following at the Lompoc Veteran's Memorial Building.

Visitation hours will be Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m.

Both he and his wife will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Both he and his wife will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Memorials may be made to Allan Hancock College Foundation, P.O. Box 5170, Santa Maria, CA 93456.