Oliver "Ray" Pardo

Oliver Ray Pardo, “Ray”, aged 81, passed away at his home in Manchester, WA, on September 24, 2025.

He is survived by his wife Yoli, his children Francesca (Bruce) and Tony (Cynthia), his grandchildren Moss, Katie, Finn and Tessie, his siblings Rob (Betty) and Susan Hardy (Mark), and many nephews and nieces. Ray loved his family deeply and became an accomplished family historian for his greater family, researching genealogy in depth for many cousins.

He was predeceased in death by his parents Ray Benson Pardo and Viola Stevens Barron, and step-parents, Norma Braidwood Pardo, and Bernard Barron. He was also predeceased by his sisters Gwendolyn Winchester (Richard) and Kay Marinaro (Ed).

Ray was born in Chelsea, MA. His parents divorced in 1948. Ray moved with his mother and siblings to Lake Oswego, OR. While he was in high school he met Yolanda Parker, and after he started at University of Oregon they began dating. He studied physics in college, was a member of the Honors College and became a member of the Delta Chi Fraternity. His summers were spent working as a firefighter in Lane County, Oregon. After graduation, he and Yoli married and moved to College Park, Maryland.

As an early computer scientist, Ray worked for Bellcom, a subsidiary of Bell Labs, contracted to NASA’s Apollo Mission. They created a backup to the landing instrumentation on the Lunar Lander. He later helped maintain University of Maryland’s computer infrastructure as one of “Your Friendly Neighborhood Systems Staff.” At this time he completed his Masters Degree in Computer Science at the University of Maryland. He also became a father during this time as his daughter, Francesca, and son, Anthony, were born. In 1974 the family moved to California, where Ray took a job at Bechtel’s headquarters in San Francisco. In those early days Bechtel’s computing hub consisted of rooms of mainframe computers storing data on tape reels. Some may have used punch cards. Over time the job evolved and the mainframe networked out to desktop workstations. Representing both University of Maryland and later Bechtel Corporation, Ray became a board member and president of two of the early computing organizations, Corporation for Open Systems (COS) and the Univac Scientific Exchange (USE). While in California, Ray earned an MBA at Golden Gate University. Over the years Bechtel would move the family to Ann Arbor, MI, Gaithersburg MD, and finally Boston MA, where Ray took on the job of Engineering Project Manager for the data infrastructure and real time systems for Boston’s “Big Dig,” Central Artery /Tunnel Project, including smart road sensors, digital signage, air ventilation systems, and emergency response communications. 7.8 miles of highway were placed 100 feet underground and under Boston Harbor.

After retiring from Bechtel, Ray and Yoli moved to the Kitsap Peninsula, first to Gig Harbor and then north to Manchester. Ray’s brother and many of his cousins also had homes in the area, as did Yoli’s father and sister. Ray and Yoli started hosting “Birgitta parties” on St. Birgitta’s birthday, an annual reunion opportunity for descendants of Ray’s Norwegian grandmother.

In retirement they enjoyed sailing and watching the ferries in the sound and the ships that came to the Navy Fuel Pier. Ray had always been a passionate reader, and he devoted himself to the local library and the community of Manchester, maintaining a monthly newsletter for the Friends of the Manchester Library and heading the committee for the famous Manchester Salmon Bake fundraiser for 18 years. He and Yoli were members of the Port Orchard Yacht Club, where Ray served as Judge Advocate and chaired the audit committee for many years. Ray served on the Kitsap County Non-Motorized Vehicle "trails" committee. He also served Elim Lutheran Church in many capacities including the church council and treasurer for the Endowment Fund. He walked in the annual Relay For Life, American Cancer Society fundraiser for 20 years, serving as the Starbucks Team Captain the last 2 years.

As a community leader, a great friend, a storehouse of family lore, and a wonderful husband, father and brother, Ray will be greatly missed.

Celebration of Life will be held at Elim Lutheran Church,5911 E. Hillcrest Dr. Port Orchard, WA on Saturday, October 25 at 2:00 PM.

Any donations one wishes to make can be directed to:

American Cancer Society P.O. Box 6704 Hagerstown, MD 21741. or

https://donate.cancer.org