a meal and then spend the night. No one who knew Ray was ever surprised to hear that story of his generosity. A plumber by trade, he would often come home with bags of cucumbers, tomatoes, even a broken clock, as payment for the work done that day. Ray was raised with that generosity. He was born at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester on June 2nd, 1951, to Ray Senior and Emma. They were the family with the always-open door - who had the neighborhood kids over for dinner and coached the local Little League team. Ray Senior taught his son about hard work, taking him on jobs when he was just a young teenager, and eventually telling him to serve his country. Ray entered the Coast Guard in the early 1970s. It was Ray's mother Emma who taught him there were no barriers to what you could achieve. She was the first local female boss in the male-dominated trucking industry. Emma was also the family problem solver, the sounding board, and the person who helped steer you in the right direction. Ray would later become that for others. Ray and his brother Frank grew up on Burrows St. It was in that neighborhood of hard-knock Italian immigrants, where Ray also learned loyalty. His friends, his buddies from Otis, Glide, and Emerson streets would be his friends for life. They met every Wednesday night for dinner at the Brook House and talked about all their happiness and their heartaches. This group of men has been there since the beginning and is now reading this about their friend at the end. But nothing was more important to Ray than his family. His son Frank and his daughters Laurie and Renee. Ask them to describe their father and they'll tell you... Ray was their mentor: a selfless, caring, and doting father. He never had a negative word about his children... he was just so very proud of who they have become. For his grandchildren, Ray was the funny spinner of stories...He was the man who fought off a bear in the woods and asked his grandchildren to make sure Stella never got jealous of Dora as he dunked them in his morning coffee. And by his side through it all, the woman he first saw at Zita's corner store in 1968... Amelia was his loyal companion for five decades. His last words on earth were to her.... "Thank you." Ray always said he may have made a few mistakes along the way but had no regrets. Our regret... is that he is just gone too soon.