Ray was born in Chula Vista, California on August 15, 1959. The second child of Bill & Pat Haavisto. Ray grew up in San Diego's Claremont area with his three siblings, Michelle, C. Andy & Toni. He attended James Madison High School, class of '77. Ray enjoyed playing in the desert and working on cars. The later became his life career. In 1979, Ray and Cindy Richardson were wed. January 1981 saw the birth of their first child, Ryan William. In April 1981, Ryan went to be with Jesus, leaving the young couple broken-hearted. September 1983 brought about the birth of beautiful Nicole Marie. April 1984 Ray and Cindy divorced. Ray and Rhonda Peters moved to Washington state for awhile. After returning to San Diego, again a single man. Ray met Marj McAlister, a single mother of two(Michelle an Steven) and waitress at the iconic, Boll Weevil. Just around the corner from where Ray worked at Firestone, in San Marcos, CA. Sept. 1988, 5 year old Nicole got a baby brother for her birthday, as the world welcomed Branden William. Ray and Marj. married in Las Vegas in April 1991. The two raised their 3, as well as having 4 foster children, a horse and various other animals, around North San Diego County and Temecula. They attended Fallbrook First Baptist Church. They managed an apartment complex in Escondido. Ray and Marj. divorced in 2005. Ray worked for Conover Tire & Automotive(Parnelli Jones) in Oceanside, CA for better than a decade. Ending in March 2010, after surviving a massive heart attack. Ray was a most excellent automobile mechanic/diagnostician. The last few years, in addition to general repairs, Ray specialized as a front-end man, dealing with suspension and tedious alignments. Ray went by the screen name, "Linemup41" or "47". Fellow mechanics considered Ray to be a 'Master Mechanic'. Though he refused to take the tests for such certification, sighting that, "ASE, would be posted out front, making it look like the whole shop, not just one guy. I think it's misleading and I'm not going to let these idiots ride on my coat-tails." Ray enjoyed; off-roading and target practice(rifle & crossbow) in the desert. As well as sending up Chinese Lanterns. Playing in the mountains, camping, fishing, panning for gold and metal detecting. He amassed a small collection of old coins(mostly Wheat Backs), tokens and his favorite, buttons from military uniforms. Ray was introduced to Joyce Hardman-Haavisto in Aug. 2009. Actually, Joyce's ex-husband gave Ray, Joyce's phone number in July. Ray finally called it in August and introduced himself. One year later, they were married, after a brief engagement. Joyce, proposed to Ray in July 2010, he said, "Yes." New wife and step-son, Daniel Amundsen. Ray was extremely intelligent, good with his hands, becoming an accomplished gardener. He was getting darn good at wood-working. Ray had an incredible singing voice(deep country.) Josh Turner's 'Your Man' or Kenny Rogers' 'Lady' Umhum, definitely gave me goose bumps. He had a quick wit, heck of an imagination, answer for everything and yes, he was usually right. He would nickname people in minutes. Using public transportation with Ray was an adventure in itself. Ray was an avid reader and would frequently finish a novel in a day or two. May 2010, while hospitalized for 24 hours with a blood clot in his heart, he finished 2 1/2 of the 3 books that were bought him. Thank goodness for Nook, Ray was knocking down a forest. Ray was a magnet to children and animals. They could just sense that he loved them both. He loved nature and everything in it, with a particular fondness for rainbows and the night sky. Ray took the time to smell the roses, but his favorite flowers were poppies. Ray passed away suddenly on August 01, 2014, at home in Vista, CA. Ray is much loved and will always be remembered by all his friends and family.