La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

Raymond C Thompson of La Conner died on Thursday, August 7 at age 66.

He was born on May 24, 1948 to Rudy and Betty Thompson in a home that Studebaker built in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Ray earned the better part of a Comparative Literature degree from Indiana State University before joining the culture wars raging outside. Traveling with his tool belt and guitar, Ray followed work to Odessa, Texas, Palm Springs, California and Chena Hot Springs, Alaska until finally arriving in La Conner in 1979, where his wheels came off.

He served for five years with able bodied distinction on the Moonlight Maid before returning to carpentry.

Holding to “a fair day’s wage, for a fair day’s work,” Ray was a crappy businessman. He felt that the bottom line was the satisfaction of a job done well. Enough was enough; truly a crappy businessman.

Always a lover of literature and pulp fiction, gracious host to his poker cohorts, revered conductor at the Station House, puzzle master, and journeyman distiller of the language, Ray was a gentle man and resolute friend.

Ray found his home in La Conner and asked that his ashes to be remanded here to an outgoing tide.