Arsen Bedikian

Ray Bedikian's father Hagop was born in Russia. His mother Adriana was born in Turkey, both of Armenian ancestry. When the Turks perpetrated the first holocaust of the 20th century upon the Christian Armenians in Turkey, Adriana's parents placed her and her sisters on a ship to escape genocide and sent them to France where they were placed in an orphanage in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Ray's father, Hagop, was an adult living in the US and went to France to find a wife. Adriana, Ray's mother, was very young, but of marrying age (approximately 15 years old), and Hagop took Adriana as his wife.
They lived in Chicago, Illinois, and Ray was born there in 1938, ten years after his sister Vilma. The family moved to Los Angeles, California when Ray was approximately 5 years old. Ray attended Los Angeles public schools and maintained good grades. He ran for the track team and excelled at the 100-yard dash.
Ray helped his father with his pushcart vending business and later a successful catering business to Paramount Pictures and learned the value of hard work and fulfilling the "American Dream" in the U.S. Ray grew up sitting and talking with many of Hollywood's most famous actors of the 1940s and 1950s while they patronized his father's catering truck, and fondly remembered spending time with Elizabeth Taylor who ended their conversation by ruffling his curly hair and telling Ray "What a cute little boy you are!" He regularly sat next to the then upcoming new actor, Anthony Quinn, and watched him get his shoes shined out front of the move studio. Ray grew up meeting many of Hollywood's most famous actors and raised his future kids with a love for old classic movies, often pointing out who he had met.
God was always watching over Ray, as he was quite the rebel. When Ray turned 14, his dad bought him a 1940 Ford which he wrecked in one of his many street races. The police were shocked he made it out alive. Ray was a true survivor and would prove that throughout his life. He loved street racing and cruising down the famous boulevards of Los Angeles, and not surprisingly, earned many speeding tickets in his teens. Finally, a judge told him it was either jail or the military for him. He chose the military and bravely served in Korea, but had to return home because his father had passed away.
Ray soon met the love of his life, Patricia (Pat) at Fort Ord, California, whom he dated for 6 weeks and then married on December 1st 1961, when Pat was 18 and he was 23. Ray built a long and successful career in banking, rising to the Vice President level, and helped many of San Diego's young doctors, dentists and attorneys with the financing to start their practices. Most of Ray's clients became lifelong friends and Ray remained as their financial advisor for decades.
Ray and Pat had two wonderful children, Nicole and Anthony (Tony), and spent decades instilling in them a desire for achievement, hard work and athletics, and watching both graduate from major universities and go on to have successful careers and their own families.
Ray and Pat loved watching their grandchildren and great grandchildren come into the world and were deeply devoted to each of them; they were Ray and Pat's greatest gift in the final chapter of Ray's 85-year story. Ray has left a great legacy of a close and loving family and is survived by his wife, Pat, his daughter Nicole and his son Tony, six grandchildren (Alexia, Andre', Christine, Caroline, Ashley, Ryan) and two great-grandchildren (Weston and Willow). Ray has left everyone in his family with funny memories, good advice, and his abiding love.
Graveside services will be held with military honors on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at1:00 pm at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen.