Raymond Arthur Rybacki, age 81, passed peacefully into his savior's arms on Friday morning, November 29, 2019. Ray, as he was known, was the youngest child of Clara (Massicotte) and Stanley Rybacki.

Ray served in the United States Air Force before marrying Marlene (Germain) in 1959. They began their family and settled in Oxford, MA. Ray bought and ran the Ray's Variety Store in Dudley, MA until the summer of 1976 when he sold the business and moved the family out west.

After arriving in Reno, Nevada, Ray began work with the Red Wing Shoe Company. It was during his tenure with them that the company moved him to Albuquerque, New Mexico. After 25 years of faithful service, he and Marlene were able to enjoy a few years in retirement before she predeceased him in 2003.

In 2004, he moved to Houston, Texas to be closer to his son and family. It wasn't long before a new tradition was established. Every year Ray would travel to Nevada, California, and New England in order to stay connected to the rest of his family. He would often include a trip to his favorite coastal towns in Maine and he enjoyed New England fish and seafood whenever he could.

It was on one of his trips to New England that God brought someone special into his life who was to become his second wife and companion for his remaining years. In May of 2016 he married his beloved Linda. She is a welcome addition to the family. Her companionship brought him and us much happiness. We know that her excellent care of him extended his time with us.

Ray was known for both his exactitude with numbers and his fun sense of humor. His brain was a human calculating machine; he took pleasure in the mental gymnastics of keeping a meticulous budget. Likewise, playing his favorite game of cribbage gave him lots of opportunities for calculating; he loved to play it and he loved to teach it to others. His sense of humor was one of his most endearing qualities. He could find humor almost anywhere and enjoyed entertaining others with funny stories. While working for the shoe company he loved to say that he was "selling shoes left and right and operating on a shoestring." Admittedly corny, but it made us chuckle and we loved him for it.

In addition to Marlene, Ray was preceded in death by his brothers — Harold, Ernest, Lawrence, Thomas, Richard, his sister Genevieve (Levitre), one grandson Kent Raymond Howard, and twin step-great grandchildren Ayden and Brayden.

He leaves behind his beloved sister, Norma (Giroux) of Webster, MA along with a multitude of nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws in the Webster/Dudley area and across the nation.

Ray is survived by his loving wife, Linda, his four children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild — his daughter Toni Hiller, Marc (Ana) Miller, Micah; his daughter Rhonda (Jeff) Howard, Gabe, Greg; his daughter Renee (Kevin) Baker, Ben, Madison Rae; his son Chris (Holly) Rybacki, Camille, Ryan, EJ, Jadon. Ray is also survived by his three stepchildren — Lori (Jamie) Berry, Tammy Lewandowski, Corey Lewandowski plus five step-grandchildren — Brittany, Ashley, Kaylee, Jamie, and Zachary and five step-great grandchildren — Avianna, Tanner, Cameron, Amayah, and Jamie Jr.

Ray's ashes will be laid to rest at Sunset Memorial Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Psalm 116:15

He will be missed.

The family warmly invites you to join us for a

Memorial Service celebrating Ray's life.

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Calvary Chapel West Houston

12022 Knigge Cemetary Road

Cypress, Texas

11:00 am