William Floyd Ray was born on September 23, 1922, in Grand Saline, Texas. He was the son of William Marshall Ray and Miriam Chole Terry Ray.

William Floyd graduated from Tyler High School in 1942 and Southern Methodist University in 1948. He served in the 557th Bomber Squadron, 387th Bomber Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot on the B-26 #43-34151 during World War II. On November 25, 1944, his crew took off from A-71 Clastres airfield in France on a bombing raid in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Upon returning to their airbase, A-71 (Clastres), the plane caught fire and crash-landed near La Neuville-Housett. The weather was bad. Four members of the crew were killed, and three survived in this crash. 2Lt Ray was one of the survivors.

Post-war, William Floyd was self-employed in Dallas, Texas, before moving back to Tyler and where he then retired from Tyler Pipe Industries. Floyd was a member of Green Acres Baptist Church before moving to Austin.

He died at the age of 89 on June 22, 2010, in Austin, Texas. His body was cremated, but his interment place is unknown.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net