Raymond Joseph Gessler

Born on May 3, 1937, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Ray was the oldest of 6 children born to Frank and Rose (nee Schmidt) Gessler - Delores Gessler, Lenore (Rick) Goertzen, Gerry (Debbie) Gessler, David (Cherie) Gessler, and Diana (Brian) Pickett.

Two of Ray’s passions were sports and cars. In grade six, he played organized hockey, starting with Pee Wee and continuing into high school. His career ended when he broke his arm in a biking accident. Ray finished high school at Nutana Collegiate in Saskatoon and began attending university. He did not complete his courses at that time but instead went to work as a bank clerk. He later finished his education at the University of Toronto. His love of cars began in his teens and continued throughout his life.

When he was 18, Ray became aware of the saving grace of Jesus, which led him to give his life to Christ and commit to serving Him. This deeply impacted his values and he spent countless hours as a dedicated volunteer and supporter of many different organizations (Eastern European Seminary, the Calgary Police, various Christian and health organizations, the conservative party, and others). He was also a faithful and active member of First Alliance Church in Calgary for 65 years. Among family, friends and acquaintances he was known for his kindness, humour, generosity and quiet strength.

In his early 20’s, Ray met and married his true love, Ruth Schatz. Together, they moved to Calgary, Alberta, where Ray worked for various oil companies (British American Oil and Alberta Energy) and for the Calgary Police in the computer division. He was recognized as a hard worker, moving from bookkeeper to computer programmer, to Supervisor and then to Management.

Ray, with his wife Ruth, loved developing properties. They even built a home near Millarville, Alberta, where they lived in 1975. The house was a large chalet style home located on 20 acres in a subdivision. A large barn was also on the property which kept the animals warm in the cold winter months.

Travelling was another of Ray’s passions. He and Ruth spent family vacations at Osoyoos, BC, at a cottage in Manitou Beach, SK, and later were snowbirds, meeting friends and family in California and Arizona. They took many other trips in their lifetime, including a visit to Eastern Europe and a memorable six week trip across Canada and down into the States to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

In the 90’s, Ray and Ruth moved to the final home that they would renovate – in Midnapore at Westshore Estates, where they lived for 28 years. While there, Ray volunteered on the Board and took many walks with Ruth through the park by the lake. Their final move was to Grand Seton Village, where he made friends curling, singing, and enjoying a quieter pace of life.

Ray will be lovingly remembered by his wife Ruth; children Karen Smith (residing in Ontario/Cambodia) and Sandy (Mike) Stasko; grandchildren Matthew Stasko, Zac (Kierra) Stasko and Alyssa (Matt) Blake; great-grandchildren; and other family and friends. He was predeceased by his son Michael Gessler.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Foothills Country Hospice Society (countryhospice.org), the Canadian Cancer Society (cancer.ca), or the Canadian Bible Society (biblesociety.ca).

A Celebration of Life will be held at First Alliance Church (12345 40 Street SE, Calgary, Alberta) on August 13, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., with a reception to follow. A family interment will take place in the morning at Queen’s Park Cemetery.