Richard Wesley Day

RICHARD WESLEY DAY He was born on October 7, 1937 in North Hollywood, California and passed away at the age of 77 on January 10, 2015 in Medford, Oregon. Richard spent his early childhood years in Sun Valley, California, until the age of 6 at which time his family decided to move back east to Sarasota, Florida, to be near his mother’s relatives. The family lived there until their farm was completely destroyed and all was lost in a hurricane when he was 9 years old. He often told the story of waking the morning after the hurricane to a farm of devastation and flood water. The family was unable to recover from this and made the decision to move back to California. Another story he told many times was of the difficulty experienced during the return trip and especially during a dust storm experienced in the Midwest. The storm was so bad that travel was forced to be made by driving on railroad tracks because roads could not be seen in the dust storm. Richard and his brothers walked the tracks in front of the family car barefoot. This was to help keep the car on the tracks and to feel for the vibration of any oncoming trains. During his High School years he was a car enthusiast and belonged to the “Igniters” car club. The club enjoyed many functions together and Richard and Lorraine attended a reunion as recently as the late 90’s. Another of his favorite stories to tell was of the time he and his younger brother fabricated a sporty and racy looking fiberglass car body and added it to a vehicle chassis and frame with a motor they already had. This project ended up looking like a race car. The boys only had the car for a short time when they were approached by their father who worked for one of the motion picture studios in Southern California. They were asked if the studios could borrow the car for a movie Tony Curtis was starring in as a race car driver. Mr. Curtis drove the car in the movie and crashed it into a wall. The car was a total loss and was never replaced but Richard still had pictures of this car in his photo collection. His appreciation of beautiful automobiles continued on throughout his life. In 1956 Richard met the love of his life Lorraine Asavis and they were married in November of 1957. They spent the first 22 years of their life together in San Fernando, California. Richard worked in electrical sign & lighting fabrication and electrical advertising and held a second and third job on the side in addition as he was always working towards a better future for his family. In 1979 Richard, Lorraine, Mother-in-Law Josephine and Daughter Gina moved to Southern Oregon and never looked back! Richard and Lorraine settled in Central Point and have lived in the same location since moving here. During his life in Oregon he continued to work in electrical sign & lighting fabrication, and was the President of Day Displays, Inc. a point of purchase display manufacturing company. He also worked for Southern Oregon Heating and Air Conditioning as an assistant to the Owner. At the end of his working career he worked for a short time as a goods demonstrator at Costco and often said he really enjoyed that job because it allowed him the opportunity to get out and talk to a lot of people. Over his lifetime Richard enjoyed several hobbies. In his younger years he experienced Deer hunting trips to the High Sierras and Northern California, Elk hunting trips to Colorado and North East Oregon and Wild Boar hunting trips to Northern California. He made several trips to a family ranch in Arizona where hunting of Dove and Quail was a way to put food on the table for dinner. He was raised on Fishing as another way to provide dinner and many trips were made to the High Sierras for Trout and to the Rogue River for Steelhead and Salmon and to the High Mountain Lakes for whatever they might produce. He was also an accomplished artist and was taught the fine art of pencil drawing by the Master Theodore Lukits who felt Richard had a rare ability to understand perspective drawing, definition and shading. Woodworking was a favorite hobby and several pieces of his artistry grace his Daughter Gina’s home. His most favorite pastime of all was to sit and read a good book and his favorite author was Louis L’Amour. For those who knew him well it is said “Richard was one of the kindest and most generous persons they knew.” He was always willing to lend a hand, provide information and give of his heart. He was a story-teller and a poet. He loved life and the outdoors. He loved his family and friends. He was an honest man. He had a strong faith in God. Richard is survived by his loving wife, Lorraine; daughter Gina Lin Ragsdale and husband John, Eagle Point, Oregon; daughter Sherri Windle and husband Jack, Missouri; adopted daughters of the heart Kim Roby and Brenda Kahut, Central Point, Oregon; and his beloved fur-babies Lexie and Chloe. He was a firm believer in adopting animals from a shelter and providing them with a warm and loving home. Memorial contributions in his name may be made to Southern Oregon Humane Society, 2910 Table Rock Road, Medford, Oregon 97501. “We must strengthen, defend, preserve and comfort each other. We must love one another. We must bear one another’s burdens. We must rejoice together, mourn together…” Puritan John Winthrop .