Raymond “Ray” Samson was born May 7, 1966, to the late Hugh and Judy Samson. He grew up near the small town of Bear Creek and attended school in Clintonville. He began dating his wife, Chris, while in high school. Ray and Chris were married in 1985 and shared a life of love, many blessings, and adventures with great friends. Motorcycle trips, snowmobiling, and traveling in the motorhome are cherished memories, snowmobiling being his favorite. Ray lived for speed! This led to years of motorcycle drag racing on his beloved Harley-Davidson V-Rod Destroyer. Ray loved the beauty of a colorful sunset or sunrise. He was very patriotic and had many American flags displayed around our home.

Ray always had goals and dreams that we worked very hard to achieve. He wanted to own his own business one day, live in a small town, and be a member of a close, tightknit community, maybe even join the local fire department. Never short on courage or ambition, every dream became reality. At the time of his passing, he and his wife owned not one, but three businesses—Ray’s Cycle motorcycle shop established in 2000, Jimmer’s Bar in 2003, and Perk’s Supper Club in 2009 (then Route 96 Bar & Grill). Building his own home someday would be the next goal, knowing he never wanted to leave the area and he would stay forever. This, too, was achieved in 2016.

It was important to Ray to give back to the community that he loved so much. He was proud to be a firefighter for the Dale Fire Department for 16 years and was also a first responder for some time. He was an active member of our local snowmobile club, marking trails, gaining permission from landowners, and putting miles on those trails. He loved to help others, whether plowing snow from a neighbor’s driveway, mowing someone’s lawn, or just listening to someone’s problems. He was so kind, thoughtful, and always had the best advice if that was all that was needed. Ray had a sense of humor like no one else and could always make me laugh! Things were never dull if Ray was around.

Ray became ill and was hospitalized on January 2, 2022. Sadly, Ray went to heaven on January 22, 2022, surrounded by the love of his wife, Chris, and his sister, Trina. Ray’s funeral service was a beautiful tribute to the wonderful man, husband, brother, uncle, and friend that meant so much to so many. The attendance was incredible, and we are all eternally grateful for the outpouring of love and support from everyone, especially the members of the Dale Fire Department and all the other fire departments that attended to pay respect. Firefighters are great!