William Waldron Ray (Bill) | Passages

May 23, 1944 – October 9, 2025

It is with deep sorrow that we say goodbye to William Waldron Ray (Bill) who passed away on October 9, 2025 of age-related illness at age 82 in Mazatlan, Mexico. Bill is survived by his son Heath, his long-term partner Susan Carnes and his sisters Donna Olson and Jean Ray, brother Daniel Ray as well as beloved cousins, nieces, nephews and many good friends. He was preceded in death by his former wife Cathy and by his parents Helen and Daniel P Ray.

Bill was born on May 23rd, 1944 in Palo Alto, California and was raised in the Bay Area until his family moved to Friday Harbor, Washington where he graduated from Friday Harbor High School. Bill’s friendly and outgoing nature made him many friends and his charm, generosity and natural athleticism set a course that would include many jobs and interesting ventures over the course of his life.

At the age of 21, he was inducted into the Army and was sent to Vietnam where he served as an MP at the Tan Son Nhut Air base (Saigon) and patrolled the Mekong River and its Delta. His service in Vietnam earned him the Vietnam Service Medal and many others. Upon returning home, he had jobs at Philco Ford building trackers for satellites and later in home construction and remodeling, but he especially loved his many years spent fishing commercially in Bristol Bay, Alaska with his brother Dan and Captain Lee Marble, who was also a good friend. Bill would return from every fishing trip many pounds lighter and with many interesting and (sometimes hilarious) stories of life at sea. He was an excellent storyteller and could command a room anywhere.

If Bill wasn’t working, he usually had a classic car or truck up on blocks. He was attracted to things that were antique or vintage and appreciated old tools, art objects and all beautiful things. He rarely ever passed an estate sale without stopping and saw hidden beauty in just about anything. A master builder and creative genius, Bill had the ability to visualize a project and the skills to see anything through to completion. He was gifted in that way and used those skills to renovate a warehouse with his father and then design a production line for bottling Grandma Jo’s Meat Sauce- just one of his interesting side activities. The sauce recipe was created by his paternal grandmother Josephine and was named after her. The sauce was bottled and sold for a decade.

In the last decades of his life, Bill and his partner Sue alternated between homes in Friday Harbor and Mazatlan, Mexico, pursuing their projects in houses north and south. They traveled extensively to vacation spots and often stopped to visit with family along the way in the United States.

A graveside service with military honors will be held on June 27th at Valley Cemetery at 2:00pm, with a Celebration of Life to be held afterwards at the American Legion Club, Friday Harbor at 3:00pm. All are welcome to attend either or both services.