Thomas Lee Ray

Thomas Lee Ray, 74, passed away at home with family by his side on June 23, 2015. Diagnosed with cancer in January, he fought a private battle against the disease.

Tom was born June 22, 1941, in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he graduated from Sacred Heart High School. He earned a drafting degree and assisted the Indianapolis Department of Transportation in designing road systems. He drove to Alaska in 1963, and never left. Alaska offered everything he loved: hunting, fishing, camping, four-wheeling and snowmobiling. He lived in Juneau, Fairbanks, Valdez and Wasilla.

He was an exceptional auto body repairman, and taught this course of study in the early 1970s for the Fairbanks North Star School District. He owned a successful auto body repair business in Valdez for many years. Employment included the state of Alaska Department of Transportation and the City of Valdez. Prior to retirement in 2012, he was the GM for Alaska Auto Arts in Wasilla.

He is survived by his wife, Lan Hee; sons, Michael, Patrick and Christopher; six grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and sisters, Tammy Shinn and Gloria Baldwin.

Memorial services are at 3 p.m., July 1, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Wasilla.