Raymond Arthur Handyside

May 29, 1933 — January 16, 2020

Raymond Arthur Handyside II, 86, passed away peacefully on January 16, 2020. Ray loved life. He savored being a human being and took joy in the smallest of things. One of the greatest lessons he taught his children was to stop and smell the roses. Ray was born in Royal Oak, Michigan in 1933, where he lived until he was 13. His family moved to Bergen, New York to farm wheat, and he always claimed that he was “nothing but a farm boy at heart.” Ray enlisted in the US Air Force and served 4 years regular duty, 4 years as a reserve. In 1959, he began working for IBM, as a Computer Systems Customer Engineer. He met the love of his life, Patricia Thomas in Kingston, New York, and married her in 1961. Together, they moved to California to build a life. Pat and Ray fell in love with Petaluma and felt it was the perfect place to put down roots and raise their family. Ray lived up to his last name, Handyside, by being an extremely handy man - he could fix anything mechanical! By day, he was involved with IBM trouble-shooting and repairing some of the largest mainframes in Northern California. By night, he doubled the size of the Handyside family home - doing all of the building, electrical, and plumbing himself. In-between, he repaired cars, appliances, and anything else that he could get his hands on. Ray was extremely active at St. James Catholic Church. He was the first Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, taught Catechism, and could always be counted on to roll up his sleeves and dive into fundraising endeavors. He embraced the community of Petaluma and passed up many opportunities with IBM so that he could stay here. He retired after 32 years with Big Blue. Ray was a voracious reader. He loved to build and fly model airplanes, and anything that had to do with astronomy, stars and the cosmos. Ray Handyside never met a stranger; he loved interacting with people, and couldn’t go anywhere without bumping into a friend or making a new one. He was completely devoted to his wife, children, and grandchildren - he greatly enjoyed being “PopPop.” He will be missed by so many for his wit, positive attitude, and grace in dealing with adversity. Ray is preceded in death by his parents Raymond & Zilda Handyside, sisters Adell Clark and Priscilla Bonko, and granddaughter Caroline Rose Ely. He is survived by his cherished wife of 58 years, Patricia Handyside; four children and their spouses, Karen & James Ely, Raymond & Britta Handyside, Linda & Robert Masson, Elaine & Robert Pelt; and five grandchildren Barbara & Jake Ely, Valerie & Jesse Masson, Caroline Joy Pelt; and numerous nieces, nephews, and their families. The Handysides would like to thank Hospice of Petaluma and the wonderful staff at Post Acute Rehab who became part of our family in caring for Ray. His Vigil Service will be held January 31, 2020 at 7:00 pm at Parent-Sorensen Mortuary & Crematory, Petaluma. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated February 1, 2020 at 11:00 am at St. James Catholic Church, Petaluma.

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Raymond Arthur Handyside

May 29, 1933 — January 16, 2020

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