Ray would have been 75 today. I can’t help but miss him every time I look over at his empty desk. Every time I saw something funny or interesting, I would bring it up and we would talk about it for a couple minutes or a couple hours. We shared many common interests and he was generally interested in everything and everyone. We also had complimentary skill sets. He could do those things I couldn’t or didn’t want to.

Ray and Char Maas at a Japanese restaurant in Bush Gardens, circa 1968
Recently I scanned a box of mom’s APS cartridges. (It was a slow process and I haven’t cleaned them up yet.) While I was waiting for my friend’s Canon FS2710 film scanner, I scanned some prints mom had filed away. One thing I noticed from both the negatives and prints- Ray and Char went on a lot of vacations together, and most of them were work related. I don’t think dad cared were he went as long as mom was along he was sure to have a good time.

Char and Ray Maas at a Creative Circle banquet, circa 1988
As a young man Ray was interested in photography. Unfortunately his budget didn’t support his level of enthusiasm, but in later years we always had a good 35mm camera. When I showed interest in getting a SLR in 1975 he was gun-ho and made sure I got one.
He was just as supportive when I got my first digital SLR in 2008 and posed for this frame.

Ray at the breakfast table, July 9, 2008
Ray left us in 2010, but he left us with a lot of fond memories.