A Hero Lost

Today we honor and celebrate the life of Ray Brytowski - the man we call husband, father, brother, grandpa, great grandpa, son and friend.

In these few sentences I will not be able to account for all the things my father meant to me and Ray meant to everyone. The many lessons I learned from the man who had a deep love of family, a wonderful sense of humor and an incredible amount of strength and integrity.

This man I call father was fiercely loyal to our country and served in the Air Force for 20 years. It was while in the Air Force that Ray met his wife of 56 years - Betty. Those of you who were blessed to be someone my father called friend knew that he would of given you the shirt off his back, without a comment or complaint. And although he was never an outwardly religious man, he certainly lived his life with strong morals and values, respecting and caring for people. That is not to say he didn’t tease anyone who had a sense of humor. Ray hugged and kissed continually reminding us that he loved us.

My father was a cheerleader for all three of us kids and was even awarded “outstanding Cheerleader” from my sister Patti’s senior volleyball team. Dad was at every event we participated in, cheering us on to success, no matter how good or bad we were in the sport. Whether travelling the countryside with Lynn’s drill team or teaching me how to snap a football for a single wing offense or breaking his wrist in the father daughter broomball game with Patti…my father was in his glory while participating in our activities.

My father’s love didn’t end there… his devotion and admiration for my mother was always an example to me and my sisters. Even through his Parkinson’s and bouts of cancer, his concern was for his “Betsy”. My father also found a great deal of joy in the company of all his grandchildren… full of love and happiness whenever he spent time with any or all of them. His joy was topped off with the recent arrival of his first great grandchild Ashley.

Although I have only scratched the surface of whom and what my father was all about- none of this is a surprise or news to those who knew Ray. The depth of his character, the love he felt for family and country penetrated quite deeply. Ray was not a man who needed or wanted a great deal of attention, he simply received it because of the kind hearted man he was. And although he not physically with us, I and many others will be forever touched by the man I call my best friend!

In Loving Memory - Ray Brytowski 1928-2008
The 567th Strategic Missile Squadron