|
|
Born and raised on a farm in Dewdney, BC, (near Mission) Ray
was one of eleven children. Independent at an early age, he
started working as a machine operator on logging equipment
at Silver Skagit. During those early years he worked in
logging camps up and down the coast and on Vancouver
Island.
Ray married Frances Rancier in 1946. Frances, Ray and
daughter Linda moved to Mayo, Yukon in the summer of 1952
and Ray worked for Great Northern Construction as a shovel
operator building the Mayo Dam. After the dam was finished,
he worked for Canadian Exploration Ltd.
Ray had a life long interest in and fascination for
politics. He became a Territorial Councillor for the Mayo
Mining District. As Councillor he pushed for such things as
upgrading highways, new mining regulations, and native
rights. While Ray was a Councillor in Mayo, he and Frances
had the privilege of meeting Prince Phillip when he visited
the Yukon.
Ray was a true pioneer
of the North; he loved to explore all the unknowns and
reached out to places where no one else had been. Leaving
Canex, Ray went prospecting on his own in the Yukon. His
stories abound. As a prospector, he walked the length and
breadth of the Territory, surviving plane crashes, dealing
with the vagaries of landscape and weather and seeing the
most spectacular scenery in the world. Frances kept the home
fires burning (literally). At 50 below with an old wood
stove, life could be considered as challenging. Frances
operated a barber shop/salon out of her home and cared for
their growing family that now included a son, Brian, and a
daughter, Tara.
In 1964, Ray and Frances moved to Whitehorse. Ray started a
sawmill in Watson Lake and partnered in a hotel in
Whitehorse. Frances returned to college for a term while
managing the hotel.
In 1972 Frances, Ray, Tara and Brian moved to Vancouver. Ray
continued in mining exploration and several other ventures.
He explored and prospected throughout BC and the US, as far
as the Mexican border. During those years they visited
Morocco and Malaysia. Frances worked with Elite Insurance
for fifteen years and when she retired in 1989, they moved
to Christina Lake. The beautiful park like setting of their
home draws visits from their children, grandchildren and
numerous friends.
Ray: dad, grandpa, brother, uncle, friend, mentor, pioneer,
adventurer, traveler, explorer, prospector, entrepreneur,
advocate, politician, ambassador, inventor, poet, speaker,
and storyteller. He had no idea of the positive impact he
had on so many. He will be greatly missed by all who knew
him.
| Top | Home
| Bio | Story
1 |
|
