Notes from Janice on Ray's passing

Thank you, each and every one, for sharing your sentiments about Ray with the world. I know there are some questions regarding his passing, which I would like to answer at this time.

Ray had spent the months of November and December in Laughlin, NV, where we’d rented a condo for 6 months, so he could have a warm place to winter over. In December, he began experiencing very severe upper neck and back pain, and couldn’t get the medical attention he needed, so his brother Rick, and his wife, Char (who were with him over the holidays) took him to Las Vegas for a flight home. Immediately upon his arrival we went to his Dr., who put him on some strong pain meds, but it really didn’t solve the problem. He had a full body MRI and it was determined that he would be a candidate for a spinal injection of a substance which would block the pain. He had the injection Wednesday, Feb 2nd, and the next day he went to the Brooklyn Tavern with his brother, and had a good time. He had lost weight and was weakened from the debilitating effects of being in so much pain, but we all thought once we were able to manage the pain, we could get him strong again. I fully expected him to go another 5 years, at the least!

Thursday morning around 4:15 a.m. after a restless night, he suddenly passed away in his bed, with family at his side. His doctor believes, due to Ray’s heart history and recent “mini strokes”, that it is quite probable that a blood clot dislodged and went to his lung.

While it was/is devastating, I am very grateful that he was here at home and will no longer be suffering. For Ray, it was the best possible scenario. After we built this home 17 years ago, Ray said the next time he moved out, it would be feet first. He got his wish.

There will be an informal celebration for Ray at the Brooklyn Tavern, Saturday, February 26th, potluck, starting at noon; and will most likely last all day. The Tavern will be open, or BYOB for the Pole building area.

Ray's Amazing Life

Born in 1927 and raised in Cedarville, Washington, just over the hill from the Brooklyn Tavern, Ray left home at age 16 and became a Merchant Seaman; he traveled to exotic places such as South Africa, Singapore, Sardinia, Iraq, Suez Canal, Panama Canal, Japan, Philippines, and many others.

He married his first wife Maxine in 1948, raising two children, Steffanie and Bruce. He joined the Air Force at age 22 and was a cryptographer and recruiter; he saw tours of duty and lived in various locales including Taiwan, Vietnam and Alaska. He retired from the Air Force at age 43, and began a second career in auto sales. He soon became part owner of the "Coachman" in Olympia, along with his business partner, Don Preston. Their dealership was the first one to occupy the Olympia Auto Mall. They also owned a body shop, "PDE".

In 1984, Ray became interested in the sport of ProRally, a venue of racing in which street legal cars (modified for safety and endurance) race on logging roads in a highly organized competition against the clock. Ray became a co-driver for Grant Whiting, together they became a highly successful rally racing team, they took many Divisional wins and earned the respect of National and World Rally competitors. He also began organizing an annual National rally which ran for many years and was known as the "Coachman Stages". One of Ray’s great pleasures from that era was when he became good friends with Rod Millen, a ProRally Champion from New Zealand. Ray went to Southeast Asia to help "crew" for Rod’s team several times. He also became friends with another rallyist, Ross Dunkerton a several-time Australian National Champ[ion. Ross is also a nationally known Aussie TV personality!

A few years after his wife died in 1982, Ray met and married Janice Damitio, along with her three young sons. They were married 20 years, living in a home they built along the Wynooche River.

Ray and his partner sold the "Coachman" dealership and body shop several years ago and, in 1988, bought the "Duane Dewees Chrysler Dodge" dealership in Aberdeen, WA.

In 1990, Ray bought the Historic Brooklyn Tavern. Four months later, it was totally destroyed by fire. It would be two years before Ray and Janice rebuilt the tavern and opened it to a loyal customer base. The Tavern reputation has spread world wide and it has become the home to Saginaw Days, a celebration of the logging legacy of the area.

You could usually find Ray bartending the tavern Thursday through Sunday, he enjoyed shelling out the local history to interested patrons. He had many stories to tell about the area and inhabitants of Oakville, Cedarville, North River, and Brooklyn, both past and present!

Ray often got the urge to travel, so he would hop on an Air Force C-17 (a cargo plane designed to fly troops and supplies to various locations around the globe) and get a free flight to "who knows where". His recent trips included Ireland, the Philippines, France, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. He carried only a small backpack and sometimes was gone several weeks. While he was gone, his friends could track his whereabouts on the "whiteboard" in the tavern. While he waited for "space availability" on a flight, he sometimes had to hole up for a couple of days, so he carried a good book, then ferreted out a bottle of wine to help pass the hours until he is granted an empty seat.

Ray passed away in his home early in the morning of February 10, 2011.

To read the full chronology of Ray Damitio's amazing life, Click Here. You'll need Adobe Reader to view this page.