Ray Winchester

Ray was born in Lakeview, Oregon, on February 15, 1928. Ray died on June 30, 2011 in Redding, California.

Ray moved with his family during the Great Depression to Susanville, California, in 1930 from the family sheep ranch in Lakeview. Ray graduated from Susanville High School in 1947. He married Bethel Cope in 1948 and their first son Tom was born in 1950. Ray moved to Alaska in 1951 with his family, parents, sister, and brother-in-law.

Ray lived and worked as a carpenter, foreman, and construction superintendent in Alaska until his retirement in 1980. He worked for Peter Kiewit doing military base construction work, then Bliss Construction, and finally 15 years for North State Builders. He constructed many buildings in Anchorage including the 7th and K Building, Spenard Builders Supply, condominiums in Alyeska, Crowley Maritime, and Alaska Sausage. He was capable of constructing virtually any type of building from concrete, steel, wood frame and any combination. In 1981, when he moved to Fall River Mills, California with his wife Eleanor, they built their beautiful retirement home on 5 acres with the help of family members.

Ray loved Alaska; hunting, fishing, water skiing on Big Lake, piloting float planes and snow-machining to wilderness areas – basically the entire outdoors of Alaska. He shot the 2nd Largest World Record Caribou in 1955. Ray always had a story for anyone about the Al-Can Highway trips, episodes of hunting, being lost, or traversing and living in Alaska. Ray traveled his last time to Alaska in 2008 where he toured many towns ….impressed by the numerous changes since he’d left the area. While there, he went halibut fishing with family and had his “catch” packed and sent back to California where the family enjoyed great halibut meals for many months.

Ray continued his love of activities with pulling grandchildren water skiing on Whiskeytown or Fall River Lake or fishing with family and wife Eleanor. Eleanor and Ray moved to Redding in 2002 where they enjoyed friends, card games, taking care of their pool, and as Ray would say “No more shoveling snow!”

Ray was always working or building something from garden items to wooden toys and crafts he would sell or give away. Tinkering in the garage was a fine afternoon of fun. Ray was quick to laugh and always the jokester on any occasion whether it was filling up a friend’s backpack with rocks for extra weight to an extra fast spin on the tube behind the boat to see if he could capsize the riders.

The years between 2000 and 2007 found him in the position of caregiver for a sister with Alzheimer’s and a son with serious diabetic problems. He lost two sisters and a son during that time.

Free of family responsibilities again he joined a group of pinochle players playing six handed, triple deck pinochle. As a couple, he and Eleanor enjoyed the company of their new friends and played twice a week, always looking for that “power” hand.

He was preceded in death by his sons, Michael Leo Winchester and Paul Edward Winchester and his sisters Beulah Butler Cole and Grace Sweeney Vandeweerd.

Survivors include his wife of 34 years, Eleanor; sons Thomas and Gerald Winchester, Stepson Charles Beecroft; Stepdaughters Peggy Costley, Kathy Lapeyre and Beth Beecroft; 13 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren, all of whom were well loved and gave him much joy!

His unexpected death was a shock to family and friends and he will be sorely missed. A “Celebration of Ray’s Life” was held July 3, 2011 at First United Methodist Church in Redding.

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