Raymond Lee "Ray" Starkey was born in California, Feb. 24th, 1914. In the 1920 census, Ray, his parents, Ray N. and Ruby F. Starkey, were living in Los Angeles with his maternal grandfather, Joseph Pletts, and his uncle, Bob Pletts.
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By 1930, Ray, Ruby and little Ray had moved to Emerson Street in the unincorporated community of Garden Grove, and a daughter had been added to the family: Francis M. Starkey.
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As a young man, Ray worked on his father's ranch, just off what is now Brookhurst St. It appears that sometime around 1938 Ray married a girl named Camille (no sign of them in the O.C. marriage records). The two of them were living on Emerson St. -- likely in a different house on the same property.
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By 1940, Ray and Camille were living at 308 Frances St., in Garden Grove, and Ray was working for Miller Brothers Co., a business that ground chili peppers. The growing of chili peppers was a major industry in the area at that time. However, Ray's work in that field didn't seem to last long, and they were back on Emerson the following year.
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For some reason, I can't find any military records for Starkey, but we know that by the time of the famous PT-109 incident, he was a Torpedoman's Mate, Second Class.
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Ray doesn't appear in the 1947 Orange County Directory and did not file his military discharge papers here, but he eventually came back home.

Three years later, the movie PT-109 hit the big screen, with Cliff Robertson in the role of JFK, (President Kennedy himself selected Robertson for the role), and with Sam Gilman portraying Ray Starkey.
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Meanwhile, the real Ray Starkey was back living on Emerson Ave., and was an oil worker for Signal Oil Co. in Huntington Beach. His father had worked in the oil fields in the 1920s and '30s, so petroleum ran in the family.
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That same year, Ray attended (as a VIP) the opening of a life-sized diorama from the film at Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park. (By the way, if you want to own part of that Movieland exhibit, it's available for sale.)

Ray L. Starkey died in Westminster on Oct. 8, 1970. His obituary in theL.A. Times said he was a resident of Santa Ana and continued,… "He leaves his wife, Mrs. Camille Waite of Capistrano Beach, two sons,George of Garden Grove and Ray of Las Vegas, a daughter, Mrs. Shirley Neighbors of Riverside, and four grandchildren."

Raymond Lee Starkey