Ray Mullins

1947 - 2016

Ray W. Mullins Jr.
1947 - 2015
Ray Mullins, Jr., age 68, passed away on December 23, 2015 at St. Luke's Hospital from chronic heart failure.
Ray was born to Ray Mullins, Sr. and LaVerne Estes on February 18, 1947 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was their only child. He attended elementary school in Raymondville, Texas. The family moved to Keosauqua, Iowa during Ray's high school years where he attended Van Buren High School. He played trombone in the band, sang in several choirs and a barbershop quartet, was in several plays, and sang in musicals.
After high school, Ray attended Iowa State University for a short time before enlisting in the Army. He became a pilot and flew UH-1 "Huey" helicopters in South Korea where he was stationed.
After leaving the Army, he worked for Best Products in Austin, Texas.
He moved to Mountain View, California and worked for Ames Research Center where he worked on projects that were integral to the space shuttle. He then worked for Hewlett-Packard. He attended school and received a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Phoenix.
He moved to Fort Collins, Colorado where he worked for Hewlett-Packard for several years. He left HP and worked for Otsuka Electronics. While living in Fort Collins, he married Gretchen Higgins in 1990.
They moved to Sacramento, California in 1994 for Gretchen's job at HP. Ray worked for various computer companies. Their son, Ray Mullins III, was born in 1996.
After moving to Boise in 2004, Ray made a career change and became a real estate photographer. He worked hard at his craft; quality photographs and excellent customer service were important to him.
Music played an important part in Ray's life. He had a lovely voice and he was always singing, whether singing along with the radio or around the house. In addition to music, Ray enjoyed photography. He was a member of Camera Club of Eagle. He won several awards for his photographs. One of his photographs graced the cover of the Impact phone directory and his photographs were on the covers of Homes and Land magazine.
Ray loved puns and playing on words. He had a sharp wit and a dry sense of humor. He got pleasure out of making someone groan or getting an eye roll.
Of all the things in his life, he was most proud of his son, flying Hueys, and his award-winning photography.
He is survived by his wife, Gretchen, and his son, Ray. He was preceded in death by his parents.
The family would like to thank Idaho Cardiology, St. Luke's Heart Failure Clinic, and St. Luke's Hospital downtown. Everyone provided high quality, compassionate care.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to MCPAWS Animal Shelter in McCall, Idaho or to your favorite animal rescue organization.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at 3:00 P.M. at Alden-Waggoner Funeral Chapel.