FONTANA - Raymond L. Tichy, age 80, of Fontana passed away on Friday, June 2, 2023 at Aurora Zilber Family Hospice in Wauwatosa. Born on September 1, 1942, Ray grew up on the Northside of Chicago. Ray’s passion for sports began at Gompers park playing baseball and football. He made many lifelong friends at Palmer Elementary school who today remember him fondly as “One of the Good Guys”. He continued his education at Lane Tech High School, where he captained the 1960 baseball team to the public league championship at Comiskey Park. While playing in the state tournament, the Bradley Braves drew interest in Ray, and he chose to play and continue his education down in Peoria eventually graduating in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in Education and a minor in business. Ray ended his baseball career playing semi-pro for a team sponsored by Moran Supply Company who he would later work for.
Ray began his teaching career at Faraday Elementary school in Chicago, eventually moving to Sayre School where he taught PE and special education. In a 1976 article written about him as ‘Teacher of the Year’, the school’s principal refers to Ray “as a heart and soul teacher, well-balanced and with a good sense of humor who goes above and beyond for his students. Tichy has gone to the extreme of providing individual gym instruction for students, depending on their abilities or limitations. Nobody is excluded from Tichy’s attention.”
Ray worked part-time for Moran Supply Company in the HVAC industry, while in college and when he was teaching. His mentor there believed in learning from the bottom up, so when Ray decided to retire from teaching in 1978, he was trained and ready to move into a full-time sales position. His natural leadership, his genuine concern for others, and his ability to treat others with kindness and respect made him a successful businessman and a mentor to many. By the time he retired, he had attained the positions of VP of Sales and General Manager.
Ray married Charmaine Mueller in 1967 and settled in Skokie, Illinois to raise their family. They welcomed their son Anton (Tony) the following year and their daughter Christine 11 months later. Ray passed his love of sports on to his two children and became their most dedicated fan. In the late 70’s and early 80’s he used his talents on coaching Tony’s teams with the Skokie Indians baseball organization. For many years he managed teams, but also took the lead as the director of the umpires.
Ray used sports to teach his children all the lessons of life he had learned: do your best, treat others with respect, don’t let adversity stand in your way, walk to the beat of your own drummer, and most importantly “work hard play hard” which was the mantra he often repeated. Ray and Char were the most supportive parents, never missing a single game of their children often having to split up to make that happen.
In the 70’s, Ray and Charmaine purchased a condo in Abbey Springs, Fontana, Wisconsin and enjoyed spending weekends on their boat, at the beach with friends and dancing at the yacht club. They knew Abbey Springs was a special place, so in the late 80s they purchased a lot to build their retirement home. In 1997 they completed their dream home and celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately the following year, Charmaine sadly passed away unexpectedly.
In 1999, mutual friends of Ray and Karolyn Glover encouraged them to attend a friend’s wedding together. Each one agreed only if it was clear to the other that they were not interested in dating. Fate apparently had another plan. On the two hour ride to the wedding, Ray and Karolyn hit it off and talked for hours. They were married a year later in 2000. Their love of golf, travel, and service kept them busy: Ray on the board of Abbey Springs and Karolyn on the food and beverage committee. She came into Ray's life at a time of overwhelming sorrow and together they built a strong and loving extended family. He fully embraced Karolyn's family as part of his own, and those relationships have continued, even after Karolyn's passing in 2012.
Ray had many sports hobbies to help him stay active. He had a passion for handball and had many epic matches versus the Chicago Bear great Johnny Morris and former sports broadcaster at the Irving Park YMCA in Chicago. As he aged out of handball, he turned his focus to the links as a long time member of Abbey Springs golf course. Over the last 10 years, Ray picked up an interest in pickleball and could be found on the courts in Abbey Springs multiple times a week. He cross country skied, biked, and kayak until he was unable to do so.
One of the things he was most proud of was his six grandchildren. When they were young he was a very hands-on Grandpa playing catch and swimming with them. He channeled his former teacher with the kids. Most notably having something called “Grandpa’s Challenge” every summer. Just as he did with his students and his own kids, Ray tried to teach the grandkids to set goals, work hard, and have fun. There was always a lesson to be had. He was notorious for always facetime and “checking in” with the kids. They always knew Grandpa was thinking about them.
Before his death, he had many visitors who came to tell him how important he was to them. I think it is safe to say from the conversations we heard, that his legacy will live on with so many people he touched along the way. Well done coach! You will be missed by many, but certainly not forgotten.
Raymond is preceded in death by his parents Anton and Laurine Tichy; his wives Charmaine Tichy and Karolyn Tichy. He is survived by his children Anton (Kathleen) Tichy, Christine (Kent) Landry, his grandchildren Rachael (John) Brodrick, Abigail Tichy, Brandon Landry and Allison Tichy, and his step daughter Ronna (John) Draper and their children Jerl Draper and Lucy Draper.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Abbey Springs Country Club Sunday, July 23, 2023 from 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
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