Ray Jasek, 88, passed away on December 17, 2013 at home, surrounded by his family.
Raymond William Jasek was born in Chicago, IL on November 21, 1925 to Ella and Frank Jasek. He was the youngest of five children. He grew up in Berwyn, IL and later moved to Forest Park, IL where he graduated from Proviso East High School.
While in high school, Ray tested and qualified for the Navy V-12 program. He trained at St. Lawrence University and Cornell University and on June 1, 1945, he was commissioned as an Officer, an Ensign. By the time Ray finished his schooling and Naval training, World War II was ending. At age 20, he was assigned to Samar, Philippines where he served as a Division Commander of an LCT division. In July 1946, he oversaw the moth-balling of the division and had the distinction of signing his own orders to go home. His final rank in the Navy was Lieutenant, Junior Grade.
Using the G.I. Bill, Ray continued his college studies at the University of Illinois and graduated with a degree in Business. He was the first person in his family to graduate from college.
After college, Ray worked for IBM selling state of the art technology: electric typewriters. He later transferred to IBM Data Processing customizing systems for large companies. After eight years, Ray left IBM and started a company called OEI, which made paper punch cards that held the programming steps for IBM mainframes. He eventually sold out to his partners and retired briefly at 38.
Ray met June Haney while the two were attending night school at Northwestern University. They were married in 1954 and later had a son Tom, daughter Janet and a son Paul. In 1964, the family moved from Illinois to California where they built a home in Tiburon. Ray loved to play tennis and ski. He was a member of the Tiburon Men’s Chorus, a little league coach and an usher at St. Hilary’s Church.
Ray made his living in the medical and office equipment leasing business. After retirement, he took an interest in real estate and appraisals and completed related courses at College of Marin. He also enjoyed participating in current events discussion classes.
In 1996, Ray and June moved to Sonoma, CA where they cultivated many new friendships and frequently participated in various local activities. In his retirement, Ray continued to work part-time appraising apartment and commercial buildings for insurance companies. He loved spending time with his family- especially his grandchildren. He was also active in the Sons in Retirement, serving as the “Big Sir” for a term.
Ray is survived by his wife of 59 years, June Jasek, son Tom Jasek (Mary) of Menlo Park, CA, daughter Janet Jasek Beach (Stuart) of Grass Valley, CA, and son Paul Jasek of Rough and Ready, CA, grandchildren Dana Jasek of San Francisco, CA, Laura Jasek of Chicago, IL Robert Jasek of Chico, CA, Kelly Beach of Columbia, MO and Sabrina Beach of Grass Valley, CA, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Ray’s life is planned for mid-January 2014. For date and time, please send an email to rayjasekmemorial@yahoo.com
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