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Ray M. Giorgi

  Ray M. Giorgi passed away peacefully on Feb. 11, 2012, one week after his 89th birthday. Ray was born to Swiss immigrants Adelina and Louis Giorgi. He was the second of four children.

  Ray was born in Sonoma, on Feb. 4, 1923. He was raised on a small farm in the hills of Sonoma. He was a feisty young boy who would milk cows, prune trees, hunt, fish and trap animals with his siblings.

  Ray joined the Army on Feb. 16, 1943, and served with the 368th Engineers. He participated in several campaigns in Europe to include landing at Normandy on D-Day. Upon his discharge from the Army, Ray worked at Mare Island where he retired after 38 years of service as a machinist. Ray met and married Joyce Ward in Sonoma in 1950. The Giorgi’s lived a very active life of camping, hunting, fishing, rafting, gardening, abalone diving, traveling Europe to visit with his Swiss relatives and raising a family.

  Ray remained active after his retirement. He enjoyed pruning his grape vines and trees, traveling, splitting wood and cutting felled trees at Leveroni’s. He loved planting trees around Sonoma. Ray had a love for trains and could recite a personal story about almost every track in the United States. He spent many hours hiking what is now known as Overlook Trail before the trail was made. He used to carry his grandchildren on his back when they were just toddlers. He would walk with his dog Henry, who was his best friend in their later years. Ray was a very busy man who always had a project or something he was building. Although he was busy with his own workings, he always had time to help a friend or neighbor. Ray traveled with his wife to Alaska to fish with their grandson Jake. He also made several cross-country trips to his grandson’s Marine base and to Colorado. Ray enjoyed Europe and especially Switzerland. He traveled there many times with his wife and also with his daughters and grandson.

  Ray was a Boy Scout troop leader and member of the VFW. He received several personal citations for his involvement in World War II and also for his service of working on nuclear submarines. He was well-known and liked in Sonoma and was seldom seen without a tree or rocks or some sort of project in the back of his truck and always a smile on his face. Ray left an impression on most people that met him. He was a very honorable, honest and caring man.

  Ray is survived by Joyce, his wife of 62 years; daughters, Elaine Giorgi, Jeanette and husband, Mike Teves; grandchildren, Rachel, Jake and Karen; great-grandchildren, Michael, Emily, Carmen, Brooke and Benjamin; as well as siblings, Melvin, Josie and Jerry. He was proceeded in death by his granddaughter Gretchen Mason.

  A visitation will be held on Friday, Feb. 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Duggan’s. Friends are invited to funeral services at 1 p.m. at Duggan’s on Saturday, Feb.18, 2012. An entombment will follow at Mountain Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the charity of your choice.

Duggan’s Mission Chapel.

Mission Cremation Service

525 West Napa Street

Sonoma, CA 95476

707-996-3655