“To live in the hearts of those we love is not to die.” By that measure, Raymond Alexander Walton, who died on May 19th at the age 54, is still very much alive.
Ray was born in Los Angeles, California on October 15, 1968, and raised by Richard and Elaine Walton in Glendale, California, in a large home with an even larger family. With eight siblings, Ray’s early life was full of activities, friends, sports, and noise…the good kind. The Glenoaks Canyon Walton home was a hub of activity in 70s and 80s, a time before cell phones and video games, when kids roamed the canyon on bikes with friends, played in the surrounding hills, or just hung out at the park. Ray was in the thick of it all.
Sports became a defining feature of Ray’s life. He played them all, eventually focusing on baseball, a sport he excelled at and played at Glendale High School. Baseball was a lifelong love.
Ray migrated to San Diego in the late 1980s, landing in Del Mar, where he waited tables at Carlos and Annie’s on 15th Street, and surfed the days away, before landing a job in medical sales, launching a successful career that took him around the world.
In February 2002, Ray was introduced to Laura Kerr and invited her to go skydiving. At 6,000 feet, Ray and Laura leaped from the plane and into a life of marriage and family, landing in Poway, California, where they owned a beautiful home and raised three beautiful daughters, Grace, Elle, and Audrey.
Ray was utterly devoted to his family. A proud #girldad, Ray rarely missed an event involving his daughters, and was a champion of their causes and interests. For years, he was an admired coach in the Poway Girls Softball League, and most recently was a veritable talent manager for his daughter’s rock band. Ray loved music, especially U2, Dave Matthews Band, and Foo Fighters, bands he saw live several times.
When Ray was diagnosed with Glioblastoma in July 2022, he approached his diagnoses the way he approached life – determined. He fought it openly, engaged his friends, and made sure he was never perceived as a victim. He even persuaded the Padres to let him throw out the first pitch before the game on September 20, 2022. With dozens of friends in attendance, Ray threw a slider low and away across the Petco Park plate and raised his hands in the air in triumph. He was thrilled to have interactions with several players, especially Manny Machado, and spoke of the experience to his final days.
Ray’s life ended way too soon. But if a life is measured by its depth not its length, Ray’s was exceptional. He worked hard, had fun, sought out meaningful experiences, and lived fully. Most importantly he loved his family and friends, especially his family. He would most want to be remembered as a good husband and father.
Ray is predeceased by his parents and survived by his wife Laura, daughters Grace, Elle, and Audrey, and a large extended family who miss him terribly. Friends are invited to a celebration of his life on Sunday, June 11th at Powerhouse Community Center in Del Mar at 2:00 pm.
