Raymond Jackson Phillips
January 10, 1970 - May 10, 2020
Obituary
Raymond Jackson Phillips was born on January 10th, 1970, in Lemoore, CA. At the age of 3 years old, his family moved to the neighborhood of Beacon Hill in the southend of Seattle, WA. Ray was the eldest at home and played big brother to the kids at his mom’s daycare business. Ray’s helping hand didn’t stop there, during the summer months he would visit his grandparents annually in Dawson, Minnesota where he spent time on their farm baling hay, caring for animals, driving tractors and operating machinery. It is no wonder that Ray’s interest in machinery trickled down later in life through his passion for riding motorcycles, boating, and camping in his RV dubbed “OURTENT”.
Ray attended Rainier Beach High School where he formed lifelong friendships and discovered passions that included photography and yearbook. It was in the yearbook program where he met the love of his life and future wife, cheerleader Floramie. Ray’s compassion and caring nature won her over immediately, and her family approved as well. It was a whirlwind romance with an engagement just after 4 months of dating. This was a true-life story of best friends becoming life-long partners.
Together they had 3 sons to share in their zest for life. The family was always on the move with the kids’ activities, camping adventures, road trips to California and Minnesota, and spending summers on Lake Washington. As the boys grew older, Ray volunteered for many things most notably St. James Cathedral and Seafair weekend. During his downtime, Ray and Floramie enjoyed annual trips to Mexico and Las Vegas, traveling to new places, and spending time with friends and family. Ray became quite the wine aficionado always with a bottle or 3 ready to share at family gatherings or a backyard barbeque. No matter how big or small the event, you can find Ray helping out as the party extraordinaire or manning the grill. Ray will be most remembered for his huge heart and how he went to great lengths to offer his help to the people and causes he cared about.
Ray went to be with The Lord on May 10th and is dearly missed. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Floramie; son and his wife, Ryan and Erin; son, Justin; son, Marcus; two grandchildren, Evan and Ava; brother and his wife, Erik and Anna; mother, Carol; father and his wife, JR and Lindy; and several nephews, nieces, cousins, and relatives.