Rayford Willis, Jr. was born July 23, 1946, in Houston, Texas. The first born boy of 11 siblings, He would grow up with a deep love for his family. Learning early about work ethic from his father and the importance of spirituality from his mother, he held several odd jobs and created a firm foundation for his future early on. Affectionately called “Red” or “X” due to his striking resemblance to Malcolm X, he would earn these nicknames not only for his skin tone but for his keen awareness of his people and their disadvantages and oppression in society. It was his mission to pass on these values and the love of God to his children.
Rayford Jr. began his athletic career early on as he discovered his love for sports. His junior season Kashmere Gardens ran the table in Houston area basketball, winning the district championship then beating Phillis Wheatley to advance and represented Houston in the state tournament at Prairie View A&M University. They lost two key players at mid-term which enabled RayFord to move up in the rotation and gain more playing time. That summer before entering his senior year some incredible things occurred with his dedication to the game which enhanced his playing skills. What a pleasure it was to the eyes of Coach Weldon Drew to see the over the summer improvement of Rayford Jr. As the season began he stood out as one of the team’s premier players as he their leading scorer. Among several of his accolades was his selection to the All City and All District teams, and being selected Forward Times Newspaper “Player of the Week” after dropping 35 points in the game of the week. He graduated from Kashmere Gardens Jr Sr High School in 1965 with a full athletic scholarship to Texas Southern University. After completing one successful basketball season as a TSU Tiger, he was drafted to the United States Army in the spring of 1966. Leaving his first unborn son in the states, he completed 2 years in the U.S. Army, fighting for his country. During his tour, he earned a Purple Heart for his service and returned home in 1968. Until this day, he blames his hearing loss on his many months of loading and firing war canons in Vietnam!
When Rayford Jr. returned to the states, he hit the ground running! He applied to the United States Postal Service at the loading dock. His perseverance allowed him to steadily move up the ranks earning promotion after promotion. He retired as Supervisor of the Quality of Work Life Office with 30 plus years of service. Always a sharp dresser, he was known for wearing his cowboy boots accompanied by a cowboy hat to work. During his career at the postal service, he held a newspaper route, ran a hot-shot driving service, invested in real estate and stocks, made and sold homemade boudin and found time to play basketball in the Postal Service league. Married for 9 years, Rayford Jr. loved to travel with his family, work on cars, and breed dogs.
Losing two of his sons in untimely deaths in 2007 and 2014, he cherishes his time with his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, daughter and son-in-law, and his two bonus sons. As a 75-year-old stroke survivor, he enjoys cooking, gardening, fishing, bowling, playing chess and dominoes, traveling, going to the casino, and driving to Trinity Garden to check on his brothers and sisters.