Raymond Titus

1976 - 2018

Raymond Titus - Big Ray - the man, the myth, the legend - passed away at Alaska Native Medical Center on May 2, 2018.
"We're going live, we're going live..." these are the words that Big Ray Titus began each of his Facebook Live feeds with. His infectious laugh and one of his smiles could brighten up an entire room. At 6'8 and almost 400lb in his prime, Ray was at true gentle giant. Big Ray was so big that he didn't have to turn the shower on, he could just stare at it until it cried. He once went on a trip to the Virgin Islands; now they're just the Islands. He could finish a game of Connect 4 in three moves and could always grab something off the top shelf for you.
In all seriousness, he was nothing short of a miracle. He outlived his prognosis of stage IIII Renal Cell Carcinoma multiple times. He was a fighter of cancer but a lover of the ladies. Ray had a great love for his mother and called her "Bonesy." He also was a celebrity at a local radio show where he would call in with the name Tommy Tookalook. Big Ray loved to cook, he loved the Discovery Channel, he loved changing words in songs, he loved to eat, he loved to make people laugh and he really, really loved to drive. He loved loud music in the car and was a surprisingly agile dancer, given his size. One of his favorite memories was of riding his snowmachine. He had a growing fondness for pranking nurses in the hospital and loved to regale his visitors with the stories of what his latest practical joke was and who it was on. He was a one of a kind, limited edition, amazing human being.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Vivian "Bonesy" Titus; grandma and grandpa, Agnes and Henry Titus; uncle and aunt, Hugh and Mary Jane Phillips; and his beloved dog, Bumper.
He is survived by father and stepmother, Myron and Gloria Smith; sisters, Robin Titus, Michelle Titus and Regina White and her husband Greg; close friends, Kad and Tarah Cochrine; aunts and uncles, Dolly and Ken Edwins, Billy and DeeDee McCarty; and uncle, Allen Titus. He is also survived by nieces and nephews who really held a soft spot in his heart: Elizabeth, Timothy, Ahriel, Kady, Delaney, Jade, Kailah and Nicholas, Natalie, Ashlynn, Kyle Ray and Kyla. He is also survived by his second family of friends, Brian and Inaay Harlow; and nieces, Gabriella (Gabs), Seana, Ashlyn and Corinne; and several close friends, Andre Lockhart, Gary Hart, Matt McCoy, Dan Holtry, Jesse and Ronald Tumbloo, lil Nikki Belanger, Amy Urbach, Jennifer Douglas and Tammy Weichert.
Ray's services will be held at the Chief David Salmon Tribal Hall in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Saturday, May 12, 2018. The family will need help beginning at 8 a.m., if anyone is available, with the potlatch beginning in the early afternoon and continuing into the evening.