I once told Tio Ray "I hate that guy" and he responded by telling me that I should never hate, that I will carry that anger with me and it becomes my burden. Ever since then, I live my life by that philosophy. Tio Ray was a mentor and a great example of what it was to be a man, father and he changed the world around him in a positive way. I will honor his memory by doing my best to leave the world in a better condition and to help spread love, not hate.  Thank you Tio Ray, I love you.

But I remember sitting there, listening to them go back and forth, sometimes for what seemed like an hour or more. And what always stood out to me was the respect they had for one another. They could talk and talk, and I would just sit there listening, fascinated by their conversations. As a child, I probably didn’t understand the importance of those moments. But today, I do.

It wasn’t just about coming over for breakfast after church. It was about family. It was about spending time together. It was about the love and respect that existed around that dinner table.

And those are memories I will cherish for the rest of my life.

In Loving Memory of Ray Castillo
A Brother-in-Law, a Brother, a Man I Will Forever Respect

Today, I want to take a moment to share a few words about  Ray, a man who meant so much to me and to our family.
You see, to me, Ray wasn’t just my brother-in-law. He was much more than that. He was part of our Mendoza family. He was a man I truly admired, a man I respected ever since I was a little boy, and a man whose memory I will carry in my heart for the rest of my life.
Ray was a man of true values, strong character, and genuine respect for others. He was the kind of man you could look up to, not necessarily because of what he said, but because of the way he carried himself and the way he treated the people around him. He will truly be missed by many.
When I think about Ray, so many memories come to mind. Some are touching, some are funny, and some are moments that, at the time, may not have seemed like much. But looking back today, I realize just how special those moments really were.

One of my fondest memories was our Sunday mornings.
I remember Ray and my sister Betty going to church together, and afterward, they would come over to my mom and dad’s house.
Now, my mom would usually have a big pot of menudo that she had prepared the night before, cooking into the early morning hours. And let me tell you something about Ray. Ray loved his menudo. But there was one thing he had to have with it. His bolillos! Not tortillas. No, no, no. Ray wanted his bolillos. Those Mexican bread rolls. And if you knew Ray, you knew that’s the way he liked it. But what I remember most wasn’t necessarily the menudo or the bolillos. It was watching Ray sit at that dinner table with my mom. Those two would sit there and talk about just about everything you could imagine. To this day, I couldn’t tell you exactly what all those conversations were about. But I remember sitting there, listening to them go back and forth, sometimes for what seemed like an hour or more.

He always treated my kids like they were his grandchildren too. He always made me and my family feel welcome. I will miss him!

My second parents. My “Adoptive” parents always making me feel like a part of the family. May you rest in peace. I will miss the smiles, love, and hugs.

I was always the most excited whenever I knew that Tío Ray and Tía Betty were visiting or whenever we visited their house growing up. My parents were kind of strict on us kids, so whenever I knew that Tío and Tía were a part of a family gathering, I would feel so excited and knew that good times were going to be had. It always meant that there would be good candy, delicious food, and we would get to learn how to play a new game or learn about a new movie. When I was really little, sometimes my mom would take our van to get worked on by Tío and the smell of an auto mechanic's shop will always remind me of that. I always loved going to his shop because he would give me quarters for his candy machines and I could watch the fishes in his pond. I always saw my Tío as a super laid-back but very tough man. He also had such a great sense of humor. There was always laughter wherever he was when we were all together. My heart goes out to my cousins. You have all turned out to be beautiful people with big hearts. Your family has always been a source of joy, love and kindness in my life.  And I know so much of that is due to how Tío Ray and Tía Betty raised you. I will carry these memories with me forever. I love you Tío. I’ll miss you.

Looking back on my memories as a kid and growing up with tio Ray and just knowing  tio Ray was someone we could always count  on. We knew if we did something  wrong we didnt want Tio Ray to find out but when we did something good he was our biggest  cheerleader. I Always looked forward  to my report  cards coming  in with good grades because Tio Ray always reminded  us he would pay up for good grades, it always pushed me to do good in school. Forever thankful for my Tio Ray.

In this picture, he was having a really good conversation with Isaac about mechanics. It was one of the last times he could talk to my boys. This was a point where Isaac decided to go into mechanics. Im sad that he couldn't teach him but happy they had this last beautiful conversation about something that they both loved.

OBITUARY

Ramon Castillo

February 20, 1957 – October 9, 2026

Pierce Brothers Crestlawn Memorial Park and Mortuary

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