Ray Hollingsworth was born September 1, 1958, and spent his entire life in Corbin, Kentucky. In 1984, Ray married his wife, Joella, and together they had four children, nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Ray was a simple man who worked extremely hard for his family, working for most of his life driving a concrete mixer. He was no stranger to hard work.

Ray grew a strong interest in joining the volunteer fire department in 2005. He dedicated thirteen years of service to his community. During this time, he received Firefighter of the Year.

In March of 2018, Ray was diagnosed with cancer. He stayed active with the fire department until the very end. Ray lost his battle to cancer on November 7, 2018.