Ray Elesworth Bybee |
| Posted 2009-11-11 by Sharla |
| The Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, Arizona November 11, 2009 (October 20, 1916 - November 1, 2009) Nov. 1, [2009] saw the passing of a longtime Wickenburg resident. Ray Elesworth Bybee and his wife Nadine first came to this area in 1937. He found work in the mines around Santa Maria, but Wickenburg was where they came to buy groceries, get their mail, eat a chicken dinner at Pearl's Cafe (at the site of the Horse Shoe Cafe), or attend a barn dance. In 1943 shortly after the birth of their first daughter Dee, Ray was drafted. He moved Nadine and Dee back to Lander, Wyo., where both of their parents lived. Ray became a hydraulics man on board the USS Sargent B ay, an aircraft carrier. In the South Pacific he saw action in Guam, the Phillipines, and Japan. In 1946 he received a medical discharge and returned to his family in Wyoming. A year later, right after the birth of his second daughter Jackie, Ray's doctors told him that if he expected to see his daughters grow up, he needed to get out of the cold country. He and Nadine knew the perfect place to go - Wickenburg, Ariz. They purchased a grocery store in what is now the Gold Nugget Restaurant, and came home. A year later they sold the store to buy a small shoe repair shop on Frontier Street, which became Ray's Shoe Repair, Saddlery, and Sporting Goods. As the business grew, the store was moved twice on Frontier Street and finally to a new building at the current site of Ben's Saddlery. Ray soon became known for his quick wit, ability to spin a yarn, and interest in everyone with whom he came in contact. He was never too busy to listen, to help those in need, or to brighten a day with his "Howdy partner." Somehow word got around that if you were looking for work in Wickenburg, to go to Ray's. For decades he was the unofficial employment office, finding work for cowboys and anyone else in need. During Ray's 30 years in business, he was also involved in a wide range of community activities, such as the Roundup Club and Gold Shirt Gang (now the Chamber of Commerce). He was the boss of the Roundup Club in 1961 and always a dedicated promoter of Wickenburg. He chaired Gold Rush Days and put on the rodeo for many years. He was a member of the Volunteer Fire Department and the Sheriff Posse's Search and Rescue Team, frequently leaving his business or family to help others. He founded the Wickenburg Junior Saddle Club and sponsored it for 17 years, was a charter member of the Elks, a member of the Masonic Lodge, and a golfing member of the Wickenburg Country Club. He also served on the Wickenburg Town Council and the Hospital Board. Henry Johnson, an old time cowboy both from the movies and in real life, once said of Ray, "When he works, he works hard, and when he plays, he plays hard!" No matter how much work he had to do, he would find time to fish and hunt with his friends, and to attend his daughters' and other children's activities. He road on the Desert Caballeros Ride for 30 years, establishing lifelong friends from all over the United States. As a sponsor of the Junior Saddle Club, he organized monthly gymkhanas, led trail rides, and took the kids on overnight rides, having as much fun as the kids. Each summer brought a special weeklong trip either to Havasupai Canyon or to the lake camping and waterskiing. Ray filled his journey through life with laughter and love. If you have been a part of his journey, you are invited to celebrate with his family and friends on Nov. 28 at the Elks Lodge. There will be a service at 11 a.m. followed by a luncheon party. All of Ray's friends are invited. Come prepared to share a picture, joke, or story and to have a good laugh in his honor. If you would like to make a donation in his memory, the two local organizations closest to his heart were the Wickenburg Junior Saddle Club, P.O. Box 945, 85858, and the Chamber of Commerce, 216 N. Frontier Street, 85390. Donations will go to the scholarship fund. Call us if you have any questions, 684-5980 or 684-5479. Ray was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years Nadine, his parents Clem and Mabel Bybee, and two older brothers Jim and Kenneth Bybee. His survivors are his sister Virginia Sanders, daughters Donna "Dee" Bybee and Jackie Rae Herring, son-in-law Dean Herring, grandchildren LaFaun Millar and husband Bill, and Dougles Ray Herring and wife Mel, and great-grandchildren Francis Nadine and Jonathan Ray Millar, Devon Ray, Daris Ray, Darian Dee, Halley Elies Rae, and Harbor Ray Herring, and Calynn Rae and Kyler Dupuis. His family wants you to know that he loved all his friends and would want to thank them for making Wickenburg the best place on earth to call home. Arrangements are by David's Desert Chapel Funeral Home of Wickenburg. See Also: Find A Grave |
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