Statewide Iowa (RI) — Former Iowa First Lady Billie Ray has died at the age of 97.
Billie Lee Hornberger met future Iowa Governor Robert D. Ray when the two were students at Des Moines Roosevelt High School. They married in 1951 and both graduated from Drake University. It was Drake that announced Mrs. Ray died peacefully on Wednesday morning.
Billie Ray became Iowa’s first lady when her husband was first elected governor in 1968. She was instrumental in the restoration of Terrace Hill after it was donated to the state in 1971 and led fundraising as the three story Victorian Era house was converted into the governor’s mansion. The Rays moved into the historic home in 1976.
Former Governor Ray died in 2018 at the age of 89. Billie Ray is survived by her three daughters, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Iowa Governor’s Mansion – Terrace Hill – KIWA Staff Photo
