| 1. | Raymond Keith Steele was born on 18 Sep 1952 in La Mesa, San Diego, California, United States; died on 7 May 2020. Other Events and Attributes:
- FamilySearch ID: KWHV-4KX
- Initiatory (LDS): 1 Nov 1971, SLAKE
Notes:
Obituary:
Raymond Keith Steele began his earthly mission, September 18, 1952, i n L a Mesa, California, born the third of three children to Parley Keit h Stee le and Julia Boyter Steele. Our dear sweet brother, son, father, g randfat her, nephew, cousin, uncle, and friend passed away Thursday, Ma y 7, 2020 , at the age of 67.
In 1955, when Ray was three years old, he and his family moved to Salt L a ke City, Utah and lived in a quaint store-front home called, "Keith's H ob by House". Ray joined the family in the hobby business, loving life an d g aining a wide circle of friends. At the age of five, he was stockin g shel ves with propellers, paint and balsa wood while waiting on custome rs. H e lived in a kid's dream world, filled with miniature cars, trains , boats , and airplanes, never deciding which genre he loved best. Tradit ionally , every Thanksgiving Day, the family decorated the store in prepa ratio n f or Christmas. They were each given a showcase to create a nic e displa y with the promise of a prize for the one who did the best job . Ray alway s won!
Ray was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Chris t o f Latter-day Saints, September 30, 1960, in the Salt Lake Tabernacl e on T emple Square, having a strong testimony of the gospel and great fa ith i n his Heavenly Father's plan.
When Ray was ten years old, in 1962, he and his family moved to a love l y home on Lake Street, filling his life with added friends and awesom e ne w experiences. As Ray grew, he participated in all sports, playing b aseba ll, basketball, and skiing the snow-laden slopes. In high school h e parti cipated on the swim team, and the tennis team. He was an amazin g marksman . Liberty Park was his haven for ice skating, fishing, and fly ing model a irplanes. He had a zest for hiking and boating. We remember h is laughte r and enthusiasm, playing hard and working even harder, litera lly embraci ng the great outdoors as if it was his first and last time t o see its gra ndeur.
Ray attended Sumner Elementary, Lincoln Jr. High, and graduated from Sou t h High School, Class of '71. For many years, Ray volunteered to read a n d record book-readings at the blind center, never imagining he would o n e day lose his own eyesight. Ray loved music and played the Hawaiian st ee l guitar. He sang in the school choir and was an avid Boy Scout.
Ray and his good friend, Barrie Brewer, were unicycle buddies. It wasn ' t long before the entire neighborhood followed suit. They proficientl y le arned to ride and performed their skills in the Thirty-first Ward Ro adsho w of the Salt Lake Park Stake, June 30, 1965.
On a new family adventure in the summer of 1970, it was decided to try " m otel business" in Anaheim, CA, with an adjoining café. Ray and Barrie t ho ught of "sunshine" and "surfing" and planned to remodel the café and r u n it by themselves. How hard could that be... frying eggs, bacon and se rv ing hot cocoa? Little did they know. Per Barrie, "Our feeble attempt t o r emodel and operate the adjoining café had all the makings for a class i c T V sitcom. Wow... the lessons learned could have filled volumes." Fi rs t and foremost, they learned surfing was NOT for them.
After the "motel days", Ray returned to Salt Lake City with his family a n d lived in a lovely home on Wasatch Drive, still spending most of his t im e at the Hobby House (1955-1983). He attended the Monument Park Ward , ser ving in many capacities. He found a new interest in construction wo rk. Th is combined his yen for exercise, fresh air, sunshine, and the abi lity t o be creative, all in one, in his quest for life outdoors.
Upon graduating from high school, he was called to serve in the Florid a S outh Mission, 1972-1974. This surprised him because of his fluency i n th e German language. Two weeks into his mission, he was able to teac h the g ospel to a large non-English speaking German family. Later, he ta ught ano ther large family. So many converts, in fact, that a German spea king bran ch was organized.
After Ray's mission, he returned home and fulfilled his life-long ambiti o n of becoming a pilot, certified as an airline transport pilot, with mu lt i-engine, commercial, and instrument ratings. He was skilled and maste rfu l at his craft. He flew air ambulance for both Life Flight and AirMe d fo r many years; instrumental in aiding and saving countless lives. Dur ing i nclement weather, he always marveled how the skies would magicall y open , allowing him to transport through a shaft of light and clear vis ibility . He was an amazing flight instructor and owned and operated hi s own flig ht school and charter operation, called Pro Flight. He flew Le ar Jets, M U 2 Marquis, Beechcraft B-200s with over 12,000 hours, to hi s credit. Ra y was honored to receive the "Pilot of the Year" award by th e Utah Pilot s Association.
February 5, 1976, he married his dear sweet friend, Edith Elisa Smith , i n the Provo Utah Temple, uniting his family for time and all eternity . Th ey were blessed with three children, Shayne Steele, Rondi (Shaun) St erzer , and Kari (Todd) Overson. Ray adored his precious grandchildren, G age, Z ack, Jurnee, Grayson, Zayden, and Lachlan. Ray is survived by thi s beauti ful family, along with his brother, Clifford (Gloria) Steele an d his sist er, DeLores Steele Silfvast; many nieces, nephews and cousins . Preceded i n death by his parents, Keith and Julia Steele, and niece, C indy Steele.
When Ray's health started to wane, he faced life fearlessly with his str o ng will and great determination, forging through seemingly endless tria ls . Ray lived more life in his first 30 years, than most people do in 10 0 . He fought the battles valiantly and never relented to defeat. He an d hi s family will be forever grateful for the donors that gave him prolo nge d life with two kidney transplants. Indeed, he witnessed miracles. W e wil l remember him as being kind, tender, loving, methodical and astute ; alwa ys showing great understanding and compassion for those around him . He wa s happiest when surrounded by his family and friends, along wit h his loya l companion pets that would never leave his side. We will reme mber his ex ample and emulate his strength as we strive to smile throug h our sorrow s at his passing. Until we meet again... fly high and higher , on and onwa rd. We love you, Raymond.
A celebration of Ray's life will be held at a later time.
Published in Salt Lake Tribune on May 15, 2020
Raymond married Edith Elisa Smith on 5 Feb 1976 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States. Edith was born on 29 Jan 1953 in Mobile, Mobile, Alabama, United States; died on 8 Aug 2020 in West Valley City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1952 - 2020 (67 years) 
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