On Monday, September 6th we lost a good and kind man to cancer.
Ray endured this wretched disease for 2 ½ years without complaint, and never lost his sense of humour.
Jan would like to thank Dr. Simon Yu and the staff of Burnaby Hospital’s Oncology Department for their kind and compassionate care, and for the precious gift of additional time.
We were so grateful to have Ray admitted to Crossroads Hospice in Port Moody. The amazing staff, Doctors, nurses and volunteers treated Ray with dignity, professionalism and such kindness. Jan will never forget the huge role they all played in making his last few weeks so special, spending time with the people he loved, laughing, reminiscing and crying in equal measure.
Ray is survived by his sister Frances Bula and brothers Phil and Roger.
He also leaves behind Jan Smith, his partner in crazy for more than 23 years, as well as her family who loved Ray like a brother – Michael, Garry and Brenda Smith and their families.
Born in Regina, Ray spent his early years in North Vancouver. After earning two diplomas from BCIT, he eventually settled at TRIUMF where he worked for 30 years, taking early retirement in 2012.
Ray was an avid skier, climber and skydiver in his adventurous youth. Later in life, he loved playing soccer as well as weekly ball hockey games played with the same group of guys for almost 30 years (some of the attraction was likely the post-game wings and beer).
A voracious reader of all genres, Ray never forgot anything he ever read, which could be annoying at times! He loved to roam the stacks and chat to the librarians, who knew him by name.
Over more than 20 years, Ray and Jan adopted almost 60 birds in need of homes, most of them coming from Night Owl Bird Hospital – Ray found it difficult to say no to Dr. McDonald. He loved his feathered “kids”, and they gave him great joy and comfort.
Early retirement meant Ray and Jan could travel extensively. Many trips to Europe led him to love Italy, the wine and the food especially – he was a great inventive cook, and his risotto was the best this side of Milan. He and Jan also enjoyed many trips to Ireland, their favourite place in the world. There, Ray connected more with the people and the Guinness than the cuisine.
Jan would like to thank our family and friends, and our wonderful “girls” for their steadfast love and support during this painful journey. Ray and I knew how blessed we were to have all of you in our lives.
Ray always joked about having a Viking funeral (while “Smoke on the Water” was played on the accordion!) But the fire department frowns on the practice. As he requested, there will be no service, but a glass lifted in his honour would be a very good thing.
If you wish to make a charitable donation in his memory, Ray was an advocate for Backpack Buddies (backpackbuddies.ca) and he also wanted to include Crossroads Hospice Society (crossroadshospice.org) for your consideration.
In honour of this lovely man, please smile and say hello to a stranger today.
Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about – be kind.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Raymond John Bula July 9 1957 September 6 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Vancouver, Province: Colombie britanique
I grieve for our collective loss. Ray was always a bright light and a kind soul. We will miss him dearly.
On behalf of the many friends Ray made over the years in both soccer and ball hockey we extend our condolences to Jan and her family. Ray was a special part of those good times for many years and a central character in a cast of specimens that would make any Seinfeld episode look lame.
Ray was a special man – kind, funny and the resident “go to expert” in trivia – there was no question that we could not bring to him to clarify or a thoughtful response that put a complex issue in layman’s terms.
And it was always helpful to have one clear mind in our crowd and that was Ray – even at the pub after a hard evening of soccer sweat or ball hockey madness Ray was the voice of reason. He always had a quiet demeanor that always belied the intelligence behind the twinkle in his eyes.
The first time some of us met Ray we came across a smiling face with a large mustache and rumpled hair – I thought he was the janitor at the school we played at until he began strapping on the pads. He always played with a determnation to stop any those weekend warriors that took it way too seriously and wanted to score – but he never mailed in a performance. If you scored on him you had to earn it.
It wasn’t until much later than I learned he was literally a physicist at UBC – and as began to demonstrate his mental prowess on the less gifted lounge lizards from our group. It never ceased to amaze us the level of detail that Ray could find on any subject – mechanics, electronics, Guinness, travel, cars – and stories about the old days we had forgotten when all of us first started playing together in soccer or hockey. It was a sad day for all of us when Ray told us of his diagnosis and that he would not be returning to play with us anytime soon.
I know we are all glad that Ray had the chance to travel with Jan and enjoy his retirement – he always mentioned his planned trips well in advance and the countdown usually started in the Spring of every year. Too often these days we hear of people not having the opportunity to really step back and enjoy their later years when we get older. I hope we can all look back on the memories we shared with Ray and know that those were times that won’t soon be forgotten.
From all of your ball hockey buddies and soccer cronies (too many to mention here) we offer you a wish for a peaceful journey and continued solace for Jan and her family.