C. Ray Proctor

1947 - 2024

Carl Ray Proctor a.k.a. C. Ray Proctor, of Level Green, went home on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. He did not go to his home in Level Green, he went to his mansion that was prepared for him in Heaven. He did not have time to say goodbye to his wife of almost 56 years, Eileen Waskowicz Proctor; his younger daughter, Leslie Proctor Savage and her husband, Michael, of Irwin; and his older daughter, Kellee Birnstiel, of Birmingham, England. There was no time to hug his six grandkids, Mikayla Birnstiel, of Gainesville, Fla., Tristan Birnstiel, of Edgewood, Md., Trevor Birnstiel, of Brockton, Mass., Dane Birnstiel, of San Diego, Calif., Saxon Birnstiel, of Cork, Ireland, and Luke Savage, of Irwin, or his beloved dog, Ruby Mae. There was no time to do coffee one last time with his brother, C. Randy Proctor and his fiancee, Katrina, of Irwin, or shoot the breeze with his nephew, Jonathan Proctor and his wife, Jessica, and their two sons, Declan and Riggs, of Irwin, or talk to his niece, Courtney Proctor Luchon, and her husband, Adrien, and their children, Alexa and Ethan, of Greenville, N.C. There was no time for one last Saturday breakfast with Bob Smith and the others at Dick's Diner. There was no time to share the yardwork with his neighbor, John Blinkhorn, or reminisce with his blood brother, Rodney Whitehead and childhood friend, John "Bud" Totin. A group of people greeted C. Ray at the gate, his dad and mom, Carl S. and Hazel B. (Mellinger) Proctor; his beloved in-laws, Frank S. and Rose E (Bielic) Waskowicz; and his first grandson, Nathan Christian Thorne, who was thrilled to see his Paw after two very long years. C. Ray was a man of faith, a dedicated husband and father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. Born Jan. 27, 1947, in Greensburg, C. Ray grew up in Willow Spring Acres, North Huntingdon. He graduated from Norwin High School, Class of 1964, and attended Point Park College, Pittsburgh, where he studied accounting. C. Ray enlisted in the Army and was stationed, amazingly, in Irwin and then in Schweinfurt, Germany until 1969. He worked for various companies in the Pittsburgh area and founded Proctor Construction in the 1970s. C. Ray volunteered to be a Sunday School Teacher and Youth Leader at Circleville Nazarene Church (now Norwin Nazarene) for years. He invested in the lives of many young people in the Irwin area in the 1970s and 1980s. He cheered his daughters and grandchildren on in life, encouraging them to go to college, work hard and succeed. He traveled with Eileen to New England over the years and enjoyed his semi-retired life. C. Ray enjoyed hunting and fishing, watching his grandsons play baseball, working with Randy and Jonathan, reading the Bible (the whole Bible every year for 13 years) and his political and spy books, sitting on his back porch, and watching his favorite NCIS and Blue Bloods episodes and the Steelers play on Sunday afternoons. C. Ray was a sinner saved by grace. He prayed over his family, trusted God with his life and looked forward to this day. Isaiah 40:29-31"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." A celebration of life will be held Sunday, Feb. 11, 2023. Time and location will be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to his grandson's memorial scholarship fund the Nathan Christian Thorne Scholarship Fund at www.NathanChristian.org, with a mailing address of 603 Beech Drive, Trafford, PA 15085. Special Memories can be sent to crayproctor@aol.com. Memories will be included at C.Ray's Celebration of Life and treasured forever. As he always said, "Today was a good day." All services are private. The JOHN M. DOBRINICK FUNERAL HOME INC., 702 Seventh St., Trafford, 412-372-3111, is assisting the family with arrangements. www.dobrinickfhinc.com.