Ray William Pollari

Ray William Pollari died on NOV. 18, 2025.He was born in Chicago, January 25, 1941)to parents who overcame the Great Depression and other significant obstacles to live inspiring lives. His Mother Charlotte, became a painter of note,

displaying works for 13 years in the Art Institute of Chicago.

His father, Jack, immigrated to the US from Finland at

the age of 10 with no resources and no English fluency, eventually reading all of Shakespeare's works and becoming an accomplished humorist and public speaker.

Ray's was a loving home, rich in culture, civility,

and diverse experiences created so by his parents, grandmother, Allie, and Ethel Mae Brown, who taught him how to "trick and treat", iron shirts and many valuable life lessons.

He studied government at Oberlin College (BA) and criminology at Florida State University ( MA) where he was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

In 1964, he became a commissioned officer in the Air Force, serving in the Special Investigations career field, with tours of duty in Texas, Vietnam,

Germany and Washington DC.He retired in 1984 as a IT Colonel

after a 4 year assignment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense

where he briefed Caspar Weinberger and Colin Powell on counterintelligence activities.

He served

in Vietnam during the 1968 Tet and May

offensives... life altering experiences.

After military retirement, he became a civil servant and was promoted

in 1988 to the Senior Executive Service.

For 6 years, he was the

Director of Counterintelligence for the Department of Defense, as well as a Program Manager for the Director of Central Intelligence.He acted as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense under Secretaries Cheney and Aspin, testifying 15 times as the Department of Defense witness before Congressional Committees on spy cases, programs, budgets, arms control treaties and personnel security.

He retired in 1994, moved to Phoenix and for 7 years helped his mother maintain some dignity and quality of life. Also, in 1994, his son, Ray, graduated from law school and subsequently started his own firm in Seattle.

In 2004, granddaughter Emma was born and began charming people.

In 2007, he married Helen Evensen, hig sweetheart for 3 years at Oberlin, making the final phase of his life the most loving and happiest of times.

He visited 66 countries

and 47 states which reinforced a strong feeling:

of patriotism for the US.

He appreciated: modern art and sculpture;

blues, jazz and Baroque music; the writings of Joseph Conrad, Joseph Heller and Arthur C Clarke; Middle East textiles; and most foods that did not have Vietnamese water bugs as an ingredient.

He played bass in

a high school Dixieland

band about as well as he played golf ( 44 handicap.)

He experienced ESP directly and through events affecting others affirming to him that human nature has dimensions beyond the physical. The Golden Rule was his guiding ethical principle, and he lived life honorably. Luck and Guardian Angels often saved the day. Some time before geezerhood set in, he concluded that objects, money, power and status lack value found in spiritual intangibles, love and friendship.

That being said, he still

regretted not being born as Shakespeare, Mozart, Rembrandt, Einstein or Robin Williams.