Ronald Ray

Ronald "Ron" Neill Ray (1960-2024)

Affectionately known to those close to him as Ronnie Ray, 63, of Andover, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on January 26th, 2024.

Ron was born in Robbinsdale, Minnesota on June 10th, 1960 to Rodney and Darlene Ray. Ron and his brother, David, enjoyed family trips to Deer Lake, Gull Lake and snowmobile adventures together. Ron graduated from Robbinsdale High School in 1978. He played hockey, soccer and football growing up. Ron attended Mankato State University and River Falls for a few semesters where he studied the art of drinking beer.

Ron met Denise and they married in June of 1988. They enjoyed traveling to the lake and Door County together. Ron has a daughter; Courtney (Cal) Decowski and a son; Matt (Lizzy). While the kids were growing up, Ron enjoyed taking them to Gull Lake to fish and every hockey practice, game and out of town tournament. Ron loved being around the hockey rink even after his kids were done playing. Ron had many grandkids and enjoyed his time as a Grandpa and made sure he attended all sports games for as long as he could. If you knew Ron he had a soft spot for his dogs. Growing up he had many Golden Retrievers and as an adult, he made sure the house always had at least 3 dogs.

Everyone who knew Ron knew how much he loved a good social outing with a Budweiser or Captain Diet. Ron was always the first one to an event (even earlier than it started) and the last one to leave. He was a great storyteller and made sure to keep others laughing. Ron grew up with a close knit group of friends in Robbinsdale where he maintained close friendships throughout his life. He made great friends through his children's sports teams and loved getting together with them. In his younger years, Ron was a scratch golfer and loved being on the course with his buddies. Ron had a vast sports team hat collection and you often would see him in a new hat. He loved collecting toys: cars, boats, motorcycles, you name it. He had it. He loved listening to the Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, and Talking Heads at full volume on repeat. In his later years, Ron loved going up to the cabin in Grand Rapids and relaxing on the pontoon. Ron will always be remembered for his quick wit, love of sports and his storytelling.

Ron is preceded in death by his father, Rodney and his brother, David. Ron is survived by his wife of 36 years, Denise; daughter, Courtney (Cal) Decowski; son, Matt (Lizzy); his grandkids; his mother, Darlene; his sister-in-law, Leslie Ray; nieces and many other relatives and friends.

A celebration of life will be held in the summer of 2024. More information will be provided later.

In the meantime, grab a beer and cheers to all your favorite memories of Ronnie Ray!

We love you. We will miss him everyday.