Ray Colson was born and raised in Colleton County. Born in 1953, one of three siblings, he grew up on Sidneys Road, where his parents, Ruth and Owen Colson, ran a small grocery store called Colson’s Quick Mart from 1939 until 1969. His mom ran the store, and his dad was a farmer and also ran a sawmill with his father. The store later became the North Side Pak-a-Sak. He attended Walterboro High School, as a Wildcat and a Bulldog, graduating in 1972. After high school Colson continued working at the Red and White Supermarket in Walterboro a job he had held during high school.
After considering his college options and speaking with some coworkers, he enrolled in Palmer Junior College in the fall of 1972 as a liberal arts major, transferred to the Baptist College at Charleston, where he earned an associate degree in 1974 and a bachelor’s in sociology in 1981. Colson worked in numerous grocery stores around the area including Red and White, Doschers, and Piggly Wiggly as produce manager and other positions. He was working at a store in Bamberg when he met his wife, Josie, who was a bookkeeper at the store, they would marry in 1984.
He went to work for Department of Social Services (DSS) in 1987, where he spent 20 years he adds, “I was interested in social work. My mom had worked for the state with the daycare program that was run by DSS here in Colleton County. “She said, ‘If you want to work with people, that’s what you should to get into.’ I just kind of put it on the back burner and the years passed. I had a friend that talked to me several times about finishing my degree. I went back and majored in sociology, got my four-year degree and in sociology at the Baptist College and finished up in 1981. I was able to get on with the Department of Social Services in 1987, I started out as a social service generalist working in economic services. I started out working in the old AFDC program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children. After a few years, I started working with Adult Protective Service, investigating abuse and neglect on the elder adults. I spent 20 years at DSS. I enjoyed going and checking on adults and elderly.”
Colson got a master’s online from a Christian school in Jacksonville, Florida, in Christian counseling. Colson explains, “I decided to leave DSS and do a lateral transfer over to vocational rehab. I worked a general caseload in Allendale and Hampton counties int the state prison and probation parole offices and all this stuff. I also worked with people that has traumatic brain injuries or other physical disabilities. I did that for 10 years, and I had 30 years in the state retirement system. I retired March of 2017. I’ve done a little bit of volunteer work the nutritional program here signing the seniors up to get the vegetables and supplies at the farmers market. I briefly worked with the Council on Aging, driving a van, picking people up and delivering meals.”
Colson is also active in his church and the Walterboro Lions Club which he has been a member for 32 years. He was president of the club for a couple years, and then became the secretary treasurer. The club works to help people with eyesight issues and assistance. Colson credits some community leaders with showing him how to be active in the community, “I always learned and watched Dr. Eddie Hiott, Mr. Jimmy Skardon, and Mr. Bernard Warsaw. Mr. Warsaw always told me you work and give back to community. That’s what it’s all about.” He added, “If you’re going to live somewhere, get involved and give back to your community. And that’s what I’ve always took that to heart and in everything, and tried to do whatever we could to help.”
In his spare time, Colson likes watching sports and going to games. He likes to read biographies of sports figures such as Tom Landry and Tony Dungy and all these people you know about their lives or their stories. He said, “I don’t read as much I used to, but I used to always have a book in my hand. My son was born in 1986 and when he was about six years old, we started going on vacations to Pigeon Forge Tennessee that two or three times a year. We don’t go as much as we used to, but we still love to travel. We love the mountains and that’s what we like to do.”
When asked about advice he would give he said, “The biggest thing I would tell anybody, don’t give up. If you have a goal, keep going.
