Ray Hellhake

On March 21, 2013, Ray Hellhake, died in Portland, Oregon, surrounded by his loving family. Ray is survived by Mary, his wife of 48 years; three children, Lani E. Faith, Jim (Kate) Hellhake, and Diana (Enoch) Platas; and four grandchildren, Carter, Zoe and Piper Hellhake, and Aurora Platas. He had one sibling, Joyce \u0026quot;Skip\u0026quot; (Chuck) Hagel, mother to Brad and Sharon. Ray was born on September 4, 1936 in Redmond, Oregon to Herman and Bell Hellhake - both deceased. As a young boy, Ray tagged along with his father as he worked as a logger in Oregon. Ray told tales of independently exploring the woods, finding abandoned structures and vehicles, and meeting up with cougars. Ray graduated from Benson High School in 1954. From there, he continued his education in engineering. In the 1960\u0027s he became owner/operator of the Flying A service station on his parents\u0027 property in Canby, Oregon. Over the course of time, Ray and his father physically moved the station two times to make room for highway 99E expansions. In 1971, he started Aurora Wreckers and Recyclers, Inc., in Aurora, Oregon, and never fully retired. In 1973, Ray purchased a house in Canby for $1. He orchestrated raising and moving the house about five miles down highway 99E, across railroad tracks (without proper permits), on the back of a truck trailer, to Aurora, Oregon, to become the Hellhake family home. The western pioneer do-it-yourself spirit lived bold and strong in both Ray and his beloved dad. Ray was as distinctive for his 6-foot 7-inch frame as he was for making friends out of everyone he met. He was well known for creating nicknames for friends, often this was a trick as he privately confessed to be bad at remembering names. He would never forget, however, what year, make and model of vehicle you drove, talked about with him, or expressed any interest in. Ray was a gentle giant of a man, and he will be cherished in our hearts forever. A memorial service will be held on April 6, 2013, at 10:30 a.m., at Oak Grove United Methodist Church. Please come sign the guest book and join in reminiscing. The family would appreciate guests writing down a memory or story about Ray, either at the service or on the online guestbook, so they can continue his storytelling tradition. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in his name be made to Adoption Mosaic, P.O. Box 18102, Portland, Oregon, 97218. www.adoptionmosaic.org "",