Uncle Ray

Lori and Ray

Ray is my oldest brother.  I really can't claim to understand him, after all,  no matter how hard we tried to include him in our adventures, Ray just didn't want to sneak around the house with us on Christmas Eve night!   Not only that, he would have slept in on Christmas if we were willing to let him -- which we weren't!  Still, though I can't claim to completely understand him even now, I do love him and I know a lot of good things about him.

Ray is quiet, and perhaps a bit shy.  He was hard for me to talk to because if he didn't have anything to say, then he just wouldn't say anything (sounds logical said that way).  Calling people makes him nervous.  I can remember him pacing back and forth in front of a phone for quite a while before he called someone.  I thought he was kind of afraid of people, which made me think of him as super brave when he went off on a mission to England where he had to talk to people, and probably call people on the phone too. 

He served an honorable mission and then came home and joined the Air Force, which I thought was really brave.  I could not imagine how he would get through basic training since in our house there wasn't really much yelling, and I always managed to cry if anyone raised their voice when I could hear.  I knew they would yell at Ray in the Air Force and I was afraid for him, but he did make it through basic training even though there were others who quit.  He was in the United States Air Force for two years.  I have been surprised by Ray a few times and I learned that I had underestimated this big brother of mine. 

Ray seemed to be a great favorite with my great uncles and aunts on my Dad's side.  They were always happy to see him coming and he remembered their names better than me because he took the time to visit them more often.

I always thought that Ray was funny about money.  He would have coins and dollars lying around in his room and he never seemed tempted to spend it.  I was tempted to steal it and see if he would notice it was gone -- but I didn't.  Still, if anyone needs help, then Ray is quick to offer.  He likes to use his money for helping.  Not only that but Ray has some good muscles that he will use to help others too.

Ray is smart, and talented.  I'm sure that my Dad is happy that at least one of his children picked up his good sense of direction and his love of driving around and seeing new things.  Ray is one of those people who seems to find the encyclopedia much more fascinating than a novel, and I expect he knows a lot of interesting facts about a lot of things.  Ray has learned a lot about gardening too, both from helping in my parent's garden growing up and from creating his own little mini-farm on his property.  He gets a lot of produce and he cans it for winter and shares his crops with his family.   Ray is also blessed with musical talent.  He has a nice singing voice and he has taught himself to play the piano.

My Mom met a man who works with Ray.  He told her that Ray doesn't talk much, but he is a very hard worker.  Ray likes recreation too -- hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities.  Ray has a wife named Lori and a 16 year old son named Michael.  He is a good man and I am proud that he is my brother.

Happy Birthday (a few days late) to Ray!