Ray Rush's Obituary
Ray Sam Rush
1926 - 2011
Ray died peacefully at home Saturday, July 30, 2011. He was born in Tacoma, WA to Sam and Parania Rush. He attended Stewart Jr. High and Lincoln High School before enlisting in the Army Air Force. After service he returned to the College of Puget Sound, where he was a member of Theta Chi. There he met and married Beverly Warner Rush and they graduated together in 1952. He founded and ran Sound Vending Service Inc. until retirement. For many years he was active with the Daffodilians, enjoying participating in the annual Daffodil Festival as well as visiting other area festivals. Always his greatest passion was boating and over the years he always owned a boat. He built his first boat in his parents' back yard when he was 16 years old. It was a 17-foot inboard with a small cabin which he moored at the Tacoma Yacht Club. Perhaps his two favorite boats were his two Tollycrafts, the first of which he watched being built in 1967. Next, in 1989 he bought his last boat, another Tollycraft which he completely refurbished. Every summer brought family trips around Puget Sound, especially to the San Juan Islands with its many ports to visit. Victoria B.C. was a favorite, docking in front of the Empress Hotel and exploring the familiar area. He also loved travel, and for many years annually joined friends venturing to Southeast Asia, Africa, India, Egypt, and Europe by land, plus numerous cruises. And his favorite cruises were those in which he took along his grandsons. Ray is survived by his wife of 59 years, Beverly, daughter Cindy and son Stephen, his brother William (Patricia), brother-in-law Larry Warner (Betty), and several nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces and grand-nephews. He took special pride and delight in his four grandsons, Judd and Andrew Rush, and Corey and Sam Grady. He was predeceased by son Paul, sister Irene Ferris, and brother Orest. A memorial service will be held Sunday, August 7, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. at the Garden Chapel of Mountain View Funeral Home and Memorial Park, Lakewood, WA. Ray's charities mostly involved the homeless and hungry. Every year during the holidays he made a great project of buying and donating turkeys to local food banks. If you wish to contribute, remember those in need with a charity of your choice.
Arrangements by Mountain View Funeral Home.
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