Ray was born in Seattle to Art and Emma Tilden. He proudly referred to himself as a “Ballard Boy”. After graduating from Ballard High School, he attended the University of Washington until WWII inspired him to join the Army Air Corp. He served as a Radio Gunner on a B24 airplane in the Philippines. While stationed on a base near Caldwell Idaho, he met a beautiful girl named Margaret on a blind date. They fell in love and were married just three months later. They only had a few days together on their honeymoon in Boise before he had to ship out for a year. When he returned the newlyweds made their home in Seattle together.
Ray had an entrepreneurial spirit and with only a small amount of money and a lot of ideas, he started Color Craft, a Silk Screen Printing business, in 1949. Color Craft specialized in high quality, large format printing including contracting with Boeing to produce their airplane decals. He was passionate about his business for 45 years and when he sold it in 1994 there were 45 employees.
Ray and Margaret had two daughters, Ginny Dykes (Pat) and Pam Meyer. Ray was blessed with seven grandchildren, Shauna Peltier (Buddy), Lisa Reith (Dennis), Gabe Meyer, Katy Hauser, Lindsay Dykes (Dock), Collin Meyer (Candace), and Devon Meyer. He also had seven great grandchildren, Mason, Hannah and Emma Reith; Ryan and Ben Peltier; and Rachel and Heidi Hauser.
Ray and Margaret traveled the world with the Screen Printing International Association. They loved to dance and spent their retirement years on their boat exploring the San Juan Islands. Ray’s greatest joy was his children and he once said sincerely that he thought he loved his family more than most people.
A celebration of Ray’s life will be held at 2:00 pm, Thursday, February 28th at Westminster Chapel, 13646 NE 24th St, Bellevue, WA 98005 with a reception following.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:
World Vision
34834 Weyerhaeuser Way S
Federal Way, WA 98001
(253) 815-1000
or
Seattle Children’s Hospital
4800 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 987-2000
Ray left this world knowing how much he was loved and that he had left a legacy behind. His long and fulfilling life has touched us with memories that will now last our lifetimes and make us cry, smile, laugh and feel loved.
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