March 1, 2012
Ray Bristow

April 20, 1923 – Feb. 25, 2012

Ray was born in Enders, Neb., to Charles and Agnes McDonald Bristow. He grew up on a farm with four sisters, Madeline, Bonnie, Iris and Mary Lou and three brothers, Marvin, Everett and Dale. Ray joined the Navy during World War II. When he was discharged from the Navy after the war he went back to the farm but soon had a terrible accident on a 1939 Indian Motorcycle when he was 23. This accident caused his left arm to be paralyzed and constant pain in his left shoulder the rest of his life. He couldn’t farm so he went to the University of Denver and received a B.A. in accounting. He went two years full time and was then able to get an accounting job with the City and County of Denver and finished his degree in night school. After graduation he went to work for the IRS in Denver and married Gloria Roerig on Nov. 16, 1956. In 1959 they moved to Tooele to work at Dugway and then TAD until retirement. He went to work for the County Hospital as an accountant for a few years. Besides this he was always remodeling his older home, and he bought a run-down house and remodeled it, rented it and sold it. Ray was always busy and always good to everyone he met. He had a wonderful sense of humor but was a very determined man once he made up his mind. He was a loving, kind husband and surely the best part of that marriage. Ray went to Arby’s every morning after retirement at 7 a.m. unless he was in the hospital or snowed in at his home. He considered the men he had coffee with every day as part of his family. They were all very good to him. Ray was going to Arby’s at 6:45 a.m. on Feb. 25 when he slipped on the landing at the back door and fell down the basement stairs fatally injuring himself. Ray’s wife wants to thank Lloyd Thomas for coming over immediately and helping her with Ray until the ambulance arrived. She is grateful for the fast service to the hospital. The fast, hard-working people at the ER did all they could for six hours to try to save Ray. They never left Ray alone for a minute and kept his wife well informed. This group was led by Dr. Greg Gardner and assisted by Bryan Ditty and other ER nurses as needed. There were CAT scan techs, med techs, X-ray techs, ICU nurses and later on the medical floor was Amy Weston, RN, and Dr. Trudel. They were all wonderful and worked as though Ray was their own relative. Dr. Gardner and Bryan Ditty explained everything they were doing to Ray to his wife and finally to Ray at the end. They let Ray decide he did not want surgery which the doctor explained he was 99 percent sure he could not survive anyway. Ray is survived by his wife and his sister Mary Lou Gear (John) and brothers Everett (Irene) and Marvin (June). He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. Last but not least he is survived by his many Arby friends. His wife thanks them for their many kindnesses to Ray. Ray was preceded in death by his parents, sisters, Madeline, Bonnie and Iris and his brother Dale. Ray requested no services and cremation. Farewell to a kind, gentle, wonderful man who was a very loving husband.