Central Kentucky developer Ray Ball, president of Ball Homes, has died
Lexington businessman Donald Ray Ball Jr., 66, president of Ball Homes, died Thursday. He had battled pancreatic cancer, according to an obituary on Milward Funeral Directors’ website.
The obituary said Ray Ball “was known for his business acumen, quick wit and ability to solve any problem. Friends and family will always remember his grin and the way he never stopped taking care of his people.”
His parents, Mira Ball and the late Don Ball, founded Ball Homes in 1959, and Ray Ball, their oldest son, was active in the family business from a young age. He managed Ball Lumber Yard at the same time he was attending the University of Kentucky, according to his obituary, and he became president of Ball Homes when he was 23.
In the coming years, the company expanded outside Lexington to build in surrounding Central Kentucky counties, Louisville and Knoxville, according to the Ball Homes website.
“He had a remarkable knack for negotiating and getting things done and, above all, he was always true to his word,” his obituary stated.
Ball was a pilot, an avid golfer who sunk a hole in one twice during his lifetime and an auto lover who bought James Motor Co. in 1991, according to the obituary.
He was active on many nonprofit community boards, including that of Lexington Center Corp., where he helped direct renovations to the convention center and Rupp Arena. He also served in leadership with the Child Development Center of the Bluegrass, Triangle Foundation, Mayor’s Comprehensive Review Board, Lexington Development Council, Home Builders Association of Lexington and other organizations, according to the obituary.
He was married for 39 years to Linda Gamblin and had three children.
Visitation is 9 a.m. to noon Thursday at Calvary Baptist Church, where Ball was a member, with funeral services beginning at 1 p.m. at the church.
