Joseph R. "Ray" Litzinger Jr.

Ray Litzinger, long- time resident of Yakima and career television announcer for KIMA, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, December 14, in Spokane, WA. Although Ray was 92 years old at the time of his death, his generous spirit, considerate nature, and delightful sense of humor never aged.

Ray was born August 20, 1922 in Devils Lake ND to Joseph and Pauline Litzinger. His father was a salesman for a grocery distribution company where the demands of his job required the family to move frequently - nine times during his first eight years of school. He and his brother Tom were always the “new kids” in town. But the challenging times of the Great Depression didn’t make Ray cynical or resentful; instead he developed a fundamental value for family and friends that became the core of his personality throughout his life. You never had to worry about getting on Ray’s “bad side” – he simply didn’t have a “bad side”.

Ray was a capable athlete in his youth, excelling in football, baseball and golf. After graduating from Minot High School, he enrolled in North Dakota Agricultural College the fall of 1941. He had planned to try out for the football team in the coming spring but like many men of his generation, World War II changed the focus and direction of his life. He enlisted in the Army Air Corp in 1942 and was initially sent to flight school to be a bomber pilot. But the need of the war effort changed and he reassigned to bombardier training. During his 4 years in the military, he served at numerous installations across the United States, form Texas, to Florida to New York City. To his disappointment (but his family’s great relief), he was never shipped overseas.

Following the war, Ray graduated from radio school and soon after secured a job as sports announcer at a radio station in Anniston Alabama. While at his first company picnic, he was introduced to an attractive young woman who sold radio ads for the University of Alabama football broadcasts. He couldn’t believe his luck, she was pretty, intelligent and loved sports! This wonderful woman with the unusual name (“My name is Henri but my friends call me Hank”) soon became the love of his life. And once again, the focus of his life changed forever.

Ray and Henri were married February 10, 1947 in Anniston. They moved back to North Dakota where he accepted a job at KNOX in Grand Forks. With the radio name of “Ray Storm”, he hosted a “Man-On-the- Street” program (basically a precursor to talk radio except he interviewed his listeners) and served as the station’s Sports Director.

In 1951, the young Litzinger family moved Yakima where he accepted a job with KIT radio. In 1954, he was given the opportunity to announce the Little League World Series when the local Yakima team advanced to the finals. The games were picked up on a national feed and his broadcasts were heard in cities and towns across the country. Listeners from as far away as North Carolina sent letters commending him on his impartiality and smooth delivery. But television was the new sensation and in 1955, Ray accepted a job with KIMA television as announcer and engineer. For over 30 years, Ray’s smooth voice was heard throughout the Yakima valley and occasionally, throughout the state. His voice was heard on commercials, station promos and public

service announcements. He did voice overs for Saturday morning cartoons, the evening news, late night movies. And he recorded commercials for local bakeries, car dealerships, furniture stores, dairy cooperatives, and retirement centers. But because he rarely appeared on camera, most folks in the

community did not know he was “that voice” on the TV. That is - until he began to speak. As soon as he began to talk, people he met would often smile and say “Hey, you’re that guy from KIMA. I’ve been listening to you since I was a little kid”.

When Ray wasn’t working, he was usually doing something with his family – taking the kid to school functions, hosting backyard barbecues, and playing just about any sport that interested them. And occasionally he was call to serve as a horse wrangler when he would be notified to by the Yakima police to retrieve his youngest daughter’s horse (the animal was quite skilled at escaping most any enclosure, particularly during the early morning hours). He was very good golfer (shot his age when he was 78), an avid runner (his selection of running attire was legendary – cloths so bright and of such contracting colors that his family was pretty sure he could be seen from space) and pretty fair tennis player (he and his doubles partner, Jim “Uncle Jimmy” Nolan, were terrors on the court).

After retiring from KIMA, Ray continued to record commercial and voice overs well into his late 70’s. He also volunteered as a reading tutor for young kids struggling to keep up in school and he drove senior citizens with limited transportation options to their medical appointments. Ray and Henri loved to visit their kids and grandkids whenever possible and they always were excited to root for their favorite sports teams (the Cougars, Mariners, and Seahawks).

In June of 2006, Henri, the love of his life, passed away. And once again, the focus of his life changed forever. He was still the same gracious, caring man everyone had always known. But you could tell the pace of his step and his spark for life changed. Then in June of this year, Janet Johnston, his youngest daughter, passed away from cancer at the age of 59. Ray was a strong man, but her passing had a profound impact on his spirit. The change was obvious to all. Living to the age of 92 is a triumph that should not be taken lightly. Our family is extremely grateful for all of the great times we had together over those many years. But we must acknowledge that we will miss him terribly and we can only hope that our memories of this truly wonderful man will ease the ache

we now feel in our hearts. Because on December 14, 2014, the focus of our lives changed forever.

Ray was preceded in death by his wife, Henri, in June 2006, and his daughter, Janet Johnston in May 2014, his parents, and an infant sister.

He is survived by his children and their spouses: Margaret (Myrvan)Koenig, of Yakima, Delores (Michael) Ryan, Joseph R. Litzinger III (Cindi) all of Nine Mile Falls, WA, and Mark (Margarete) Litzinger of Mukilteo, WA. Also surviving are 12 grandchildren: Michele Koenig, Brian Koenig, Amy Koenig-Hamilton, Shannon Ryan Dennis, Bridget Ryan Garner, Jason Johnston, Daniel Johnston, Amanda Litzinger, Elizabeth Litzinger, Alex Litzinger, Aaron Litzinger, Andrew Litzinger. Eight great-grandchildren also survive him, his brother Thomas Litzinger of AnacortesWA, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

Celebration of Life Mass will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2014, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Moxee, WA, followed by a reception in the Church Hall. A private family graveside service will be held at Terrace Heights Memorial Park.

The family respectfully requests that Memorial donations be made to H.O.P.E. School (Hearing , Oral, Program of Excellence) in care of Keith and Keith Funeral Home, 902 W. Yakima, Yakima, WA 98902. The H.O.P.E. School was co-founded in 2004, by Ray’s daughter, Jan Johnston, to help deaf and hard-of-hearing children achieve success. Thank you.

We also request that you please take a few minutes to go online to KeithandKeith.com, find Dad’s name, and leave us a short story about our Dad. We love to hear how he affected the lives of others.