Raymond Clair Field

Raymond Clair Field passed away on March 11, 2017, after a courageous 2-year battle with melanoma. He was the loving husband of Donna Lee Young with whom he shared 60 years of marriage. He is the beloved father (and father-in-law) of R. Scott Field (and his wife Tatiana Field), Kim Campbell (and her ex-husband Jeff Campbell), and Connie Genco (and her husband Patrick "Buddy" Genco). He will also be dearly missed by his three grandchildren, who affectionately called him Pap-Pap, Cory (19) and Carly Campbell (17) and Nicholas "Nick" Genco (12); as well as three granddogs, Bowser (9) and Lucy (6) Campbell, and Hummer (6) "Like-Nothing-Else" Field; and one grandcat, Ziggy (13) "Marley" Campbell.
Born on October 17, 1931, in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Ira and Mary (Kuder) Field. Unfortunately, Ray's mother passed away when he was in his late twenties, which weighed on him heavily throughout his life.
In Beaver Falls High School, graduating class of 1950, he met his wife, Donna-the bedrock of the family. He worked as an engineer model craftsman at Westinghouse for 36 years. He was drafted into the US Army in 1958 and served in the US Army Reserves until 1963. He was also a longstanding member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks in Beaver Falls.
Ray's most cherished memories were spending time with family and close friends. This included yearly timeshare vacations in Mexico, relaxing and sipping margaritas in Puerto Vallarta, walking through historic streets of New Orleans, enjoying beignets, Creole food, and sipping hurricanes at Pat O'Briens. He also enjoyed golfing in sunny Arizona, away from the bleak and cold winters of western PA; boating and fishing for perch and walleye in Lake Erie; catfishing and smoking cigars in the Beaver and Ohio Rivers; and sudden-death racquetball matches with his buddies in Rochester. In his earlier years, he also enjoyed flying his Swift airplane and black diamond skiing in Colorado over Christmas vacations with his family, as well as weekend trips to Seven Springs and White Mountain resorts in Pennsylvania, where he served as a ski patrol. Ray was also one of the original members of the Beaver Valley Ski Club. One could often find him tinkering in his garage, restoring his '73 Chevy Cheyenne pickup or 74' Corvette, manicuring his lawn, or working on one of his endless home improvement projects. If anyone called on him to fix something or to lend a hand, he would be there without hesitation-there wasn't a thing he couldn't fix. An endless perfectionist; he had high expectations not only for himself but also for his children and grandchildren.
Ray is predeceased in death by his two sisters, Dorothy Dzan and Mary Louise Wilson. A jokester who could lighten a serious moment (a couple of manhattans may have helped), he loved staying up late laughing, reminiscing, and talking about himself or his children-his pride and joy. An avid Pittsburgh Steelers and Penguins fan, he would shout at the players on TV and would have no problem turning off a bad game.
Passionate about life, love, and laughter…he was also known to shed a few tears on occasion; he was a private man but not a quiet man…a man of grit and pride…stubborn and strong-willed. He enjoyed life and wanted to live forever….and although he is no longer with us, he will live in our hearts and minds…until, by God's grace, we too will join in him in heaven.
Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 pm on Thursday, March 16th at SAUL-GABAUER FUNERAL HOME, INC., 273 Route 68, Rochester (adjacent to Sylvania Hills Memorial Park Mausoleum). Uplifting Life Services will be held on Friday, March 17th at 11 a.m. in the funeral home. Military Honors by the Beaver County Special Unit and Words of Committal will be offered 11:45 a.m. in the Mausoleum with entombment to follow. On line condolences, may be expressed at www.saul-gabauer.com. In lieu of flowers, donations (if so desired) may be made to the American Cancer Society in honor of Raymond C. Field.