Ray R Somerlott

RAY R. SOMERLOTT
June 1, 1925 - March 29, 2011

Ray Somerlott was a man for all seasons but he never let his winter get in the way of his spring. No matter his chronological age, 85, Ray remained young at heart and soul with a love for music, friends, family, and especially his wife, Mary, whom he wed nearly 30 years ago on June 6, 1981. Ray and Mary were forever a couple in tune with each other, loving and caring for one another through all the ups and downs of life. Their love of jazz -- cool, hot, or straight-ahead-- set the beat of their lives.

Golf was Ray's other passion that provided him with the companionship of so many good golf buddies through the years. Old friends from Pacific Telephone company days, where he spent 32 years, the latter as a sales manager; new friends from his Rancho Duarte Men's Club. On the course and at the 19th hole they bonded, laughed, traded stories and drank to their good shots and bad.

Friends were an important part of Ray's life. He loved being in the company of good friends and he had many. There were his former classmates from St. Phillip's School in Pasadena who went back 70-plus years. His graduating class of 17 students was a tight-knit group who reunited annually for more than 50 years and always kept in touch by phone, letters, and in more recent times by email.

Ray was born Rolland Raymond Pointer in Chicago, Illinois on June 1, 1925 to Jerry Raymond Pointer and Irene Curry, of Missouri. His father was killed in a work accident when Ray was only two. In search of a good job to secure the welfare of herself and her child, Irene joined the exodus of people from the Midwest and East who in search of opportunity flocked to Southern California. She landed in Pasadena and found a job as a switchboard operator at the phone company. When Ray was five years old, his grandparents put him on a train by himself and sent him across country to live with his mother who had since remarried. Ray adopted his stepfather's last name. At the age of 14, Ray lost his mother. Irene was the first fatality on the then newly built Pasadena Arroyo Seco Freeway. Coming home from work in a taxicab, the cab tried to negotiate the tight curve of a badly engineered off ramp. The car careened and burned with Irene trapped inside. Orphaned, then abandoned by his stepfather, Ray moved in with his young married cousin, Dorothy and her husband, Robert Taylor who continued to raise him.

As a student at Woodrow Wilson in Pasadena and later, Pasadena Junior College, Ray distinguished himself as a football player. As a sophomore, he set a record for passing, 73 yards in the air, which may still stand. He graduated in 1942 and immediately enlisted in the Army Air Corps to embark on what he remembered as the adventure of his life, traveling the world transporting equipment in World War II. After the war, Ray returned to Pasadena, went to work for Pacific Telephone. On the weekends for extra money he played piano in local restaurants. His athletic abilities on the football field led to a part time job with the Los Angeles Rams. Off football season, he coached Little League baseball. In his years with the phone company Ray worked in Pasadena, downtown Los Angeles and San Francisco. In the last 20 years with the company he enjoyed a successful career in marketing and sales. He retired in 1984 and segued into public relations, working side-by-side with Mary for the next 27 years of his life. He was a loving husband and a loving, caring mentor to his nieces and nephews. His passing left a void in the lives of his family and friends that can never be replaced.

Services will be held at Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at Rose Hills Memorial Park. Viewing 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon; Services, 1:00 p.m., Memorial Chapel.