Raymond Louis Meyers, 62, passed from this life to the next at St. Anthony’s Hospital, Gig Harbor, Washington, on Sunday, June 16, 2019, with his wife, Colleen, and daughter Jasmine at his side. He was born in Aberdeen, Washington on Sept. 3, 1956, as the first of seven sons to Raymond W. and Victoria L. (Seidel) Meyers. He graduated from Montesano High School in 1975 and joined the U. S. Navy in 1977, where he completed Navy Nuclear Power School. He received an honorable discharge when they realized he couldn’t hear worth a darn.
Ray reconnected with and married his high school sweetheart, Colleen Murphy, on June 13, 1981. They welcomed their beautiful daughter Jasmine Nicole on Sept. 6, 1988. Ray was extremely proud of his daughter, now Dr. Jasmine Burrington, Doctor of Audiology, who, with her husband Steve, owns and operates two Texas Hearing Clinics near Austin, Texas.
Though Ray left us far too soon, he had a very full life, which included many accomplishments. He and Colleen traveled the country (all 50 states) for the first 13 years of their marriage working at Naval shipyards and commercial nuclear power plants as radiation safety technicians. They settled in 1994 in Richland, Washington and were both employed at the Hanford Nuclear Site, where Ray worked as a radiation safety technician initially, but he finished his career there as a knowledgeable and entertaining instructor. He was also an adjunct professor at Columbia Basin Community College. Together Ray and Colleen acted and sang in numerous musicals with the Richland Light Opera. Ray was also an accomplished guitar player and wrote several original songs. He was excited to have his book, “The Nerd,” published in 2018 and was in the process of writing the prequel (which Colleen may try to finish.) Ray was a stock adviser, beating the S & P many times, and was featured several times in Forbes Magazine. In 2015 Ray and Colleen returned to their hometown of Montesano, where they refurbished, remodeled and reopened a local landmark, Gene’s Stop & Go. He was proud to say they served “The best cheeseburger in this quadrant of the Galaxy!” The last five years brought Ray many health challenges, which he handled with his usual humor and sarcastic wit.
Ray was preceded in death by his parents and a beloved uncle, Al Meyers and his wife, Rita. He was loved by and will be missed by his wife of 38 years, Colleen; his daughter Dr. Jasmine Burrington and son-in-law Steve; his six younger brothers: Ed, David (Lorraine), Mike (Jane), Jeff (Shannon), Tony (Vicki) and Kelly (Sheri). Ray was married for a short time early in life and is survived by two children from that marriage; a son, Randy Meyers, and daughter, Brandy (Meyers) Prock and her husband Jason and their children Marika and Axana. He also leaves behind many friends and close extended family members. Please join us for a funeral mass and celebration of Ray’s life at St. John’s Catholic Church in Montesano, Washington, at 12 p.m. Saturday, July 13, with a rosary at 11 a.m., and a luncheon following, where stories about and memories of Ray will be shared.
Arrangements are in the care of Harrison Family Mortuary.
