Raymond " Ray" Luce, Sr., a much loved friend of many, a HERO to his family members and adored husband of Mildred, passed away, in Kamloops,on Dec. 23, 2016.
Ray's favourite time of the year was the celebration of his Saviour's birth and the time Ray most looked forward to as it meant having his family come home so this year wasn't any different – his family came from miles away to be by his side~he waited for each one to arrive before he closed his eyes, one final time.
He was surrounded by immense love and adoration. Tears of sorrow flowed as did tears of joy for his soon release from the dastardly disease of Alzheimer's. (Ray would want you to know that it was natural causes that took him NOT the Alzheimer's!) Mildred held his hand as his golden heart slowly ceased to beat. He is now with Our Lord.
Ray was predeceased by his daughter Deborah, granddaughter Diana; his parents John & Emilie, seven brothers: Jean-Baptiste, Livain, Alden, Art, Alphonse, Gerard and Lawrence; two sisters: Emelia and Martha.
His amazing life will forever be cherished by his beautiful wife, Mildred; his seven sons: Raymond (Shannon); Lawrence; Roger (Lorraine) [Louie & Melissa{Dezarae, Maddison, Alisa, Alex, Kahlan}], [Derek (Evelyn) {Jayda,Morgan}], [Allison (Tim) {Faith}] and [Koren {Tyson, Cassie, Aiden}];Alvin (Ron); Barry (Robin) [Jamie, Jenna & Kevin]; Mark (Laurie) [Erica, Ben, Levi] and Tony (Lisa) {Dalton} and his two daughters: Catherine (Edward), [Curtis] and Marjorie (Michael) [Veronica(Darcy) {Amanda & Brenden,Anthony, Kirkland, Elliott, Madeline, Navaeh}] and [Craig (Stephanie)]
Also surviving him is his sister, Lydia LeBlanc of NB; three step-sisters: Therese Godin of NB, Alice Aubé (Gérald) of NB, Simonne Clement (Lawrence) of ON; his brother: Urbain Luce (Irene) of ON; two step brothers: Jean Paul Luce (Marie) and Claude Luce, both of NB.
He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews,great-great nieces and great-great nephews.
Ray grew up on a farm in NB. His teenage years and early twenties had him hauling and transporting pulp wood via horse wagon team or via water~this proved to provide tales of wonder to his children!
His next move took him to ON where he met and married the love of his life, Mildred, on April 10, 1950. This union was blessed with ten children.
In 1959, the family moved to Clinton, BC and he became a long time resident of this community he so loved. He worked as a faller, logging truck driver, BC Hydro construction worker which led him to his final career choice, carpentry, in which he excelled.
As a certified carpenter Ray was known for his quality of work! There was a great demand for his workmanship and easily could have worked seven days a week. He was as a retired carpenter that never retired!
He built many Christmas displays, with Mildred’s help, resulting in more than one award for Best Display. He was most proud of his Nativity Scene.
Loving to work with his hands he pursued self-taught wood working skills in his spare time. His children, grandchildren and many others have articles that are treasured to this day.
Ray was a devout Catholic as he lived to serve the Lord. He loved and appreciated what the Lord provided. It was not unusual to find him performing handyman duties in and around St. Peter’s church. He also enjoyed attending mass at the Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in Cache Creek. Attending church provided Ray with much solace.
Ray’s love of the land was obvious as shown in his gardening skills~to see his garden was indeed splendid and often the talk of the town. His grandchildren always relished seeing his garden and helped him pick from his garden too. Both he and Mildred would always be cooking up something from his garden to everyone’s delight.
Ray was an avid fisherman and taught these skills not only to his children but to neighbourhood children who had no one to teach them. He loved taking his grandchildren fishing and they loved spending the one to one time with Grandpa. In Ray’s later years, he and fishing buddy, Ev Timms were known to be seen on various lakes in and around Clinton. Boy oh boy were there ever stories to tell of their adventures! Initially, Ray hunted to feed his family and then hunted to teach his sons those skills. Many humorous stories came about from the many trips with all the boys!!
In the earlier years of living in Clinton Ray was a “one season Trapper”. He trapped to complete his ingredient list for his infamous Tourtière that he and Mildred made every Christmas. An annual tradition Ray brought to his family that they are honoured to carry on! Those that have tasted his Tourtières will tell you they’ve never tasted anything so divine~a delight that always has you coming back for more!!
Ray enjoyed sports and the various activities Clinton had to offer. He loved fishing derbies and volunteering. He also loved hockey, both as a parent and as a coach. Those who played on his team knew he was a coach who didn’t have to say a word to get his message across as it was the French in him that conveyed his message by merely crossing his arms or moving his hands. He very much enjoyed curling and fellow curlers just might say he had a competitive nature, not unlike some of his children. The May Ball would see Ray and Mildred in their cowboy hats enjoying the activities of this annual event especially “Beef on a Bun”, the parade and of course the rodeo.
Ray is now at peace with his Saviour ~no more pain, no more anguish, only the beauty of His Garden.
Viewing and prayers will take place Friday, January 6, 2017 at 6:00 pm at Thompson Valley Funeral Home, 660 Hwy 97C, Ashcroft, BC.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 11:00 am in St Peter’s Catholic Church in Clinton, BC. Immediately following the service a tea will be held.
In lieu of flowers donations, in memory of Ray, may be made c/o Cathy Russell – Apt. 203-2169 Flamingo Road, Kamloops, BCV2C4J8. These donations will be used to purchase needed equipment for Kamloops Seniors Village or donations could also be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.
We wish to extend sincere thanks for the amazing care provided by Ray’s compassionate and remarkable Doctor, Dr. Mavis Hollman, who continues to be so passionate for the welfare of each of her patients. As well, to the caring staff of Kamloops Seniors Village Residential Care Facility, Unit C~Ray made sure he kept everyone on their toes! Lastly but by no means least, to his best buddy, at Kamloops Seniors Village Residential Care Facility, Dennis, who made his stay in residential care endurable, we thank YOU!
Condolences may be posted to the family at www.tvfh.ca