Raymond A. Razzano passed away in Grass Valley on December 2, 2019. He was 86.
A Celebration of Life will be held in the Spring of 2020.
Ray was born August 5, 1933 in Oakland, California to Emil and Mabel Razzano. He grew up in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood and attended Oakland Tech. He received a two-year degree in Animal Husbandry from UC Davis before being drafted to the Army. Following his service, he attended UC Berkeley and received a BS and MS in Civil/Structural Engineering. He had a 40+ year career in Berkeley and Oakland designing over 700 schools and hospitals. He was married in 1959 to JoAnn Perry. They enjoyed 30 years of marriage and loved to travel, play tennis and do DIY home projects.
Ray raised many springer spaniels for field trials. He was an avid wood worker making cabinets, tables, armoires, and bookshelves. All of his friends have beautiful handmade jewelry boxes. At 65, he took up martial arts, Kuk Sol Won, and became a black belt. He had a great appreciation of nature.
Ray was extremely resourceful and when he didn’t know how to do something, he read books, took classes, and taught himself. He was a lifelong learner. He was fiercely independent and always took a positive outlook on life.
He is survived by his daughter, Holly Jansen; son-in-law, James Jansen; his granddaughter, Lily Jansen; and his grandson, Thomas Jansen, all of Pleasant Hill, California.
Ray was predeceased by his parents, Mabel and Emil Razzano; his wife, JoAnn; and his brother, Frank Fresia.
In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial contribution to English Springer Rescue America, Inc. (ESRA) at http://www.springerrescue.org
