RIP, Ray Razo, Jr. – KATS Loyal Listener and All-Around Swell Guy

I've had the privilege to meet TONS of people in my 26-plus years of radio broadcasting that I most likely would never have encountered otherwise. One of those people was Ray Razo, Jr. Yesterday, as I got off the air, I received a message from his brother Rico saying that Ray had died suddenly over this past weekend.

Ray was a fixture at our Monday night football tailgate parties. He listened to KATS a ton and he LOVED talking about sports and always tried to stump me with trivia questions. He used to play live trivia in some of Yakima's local bars and his team name was "The Mexecutioner."

When you hear someone described as a "teddy bear" - well, that was Ray, gravelly voice and all. I don't recall ever hearing a negative word come out of his mouth. He just liked to have fun. Unlike many of the listeners I've met over the years, I invited Ray to my house for St. Patrick's Day dinner a couple of years ago. He could not have been more appreciative. I'll always remember that night.

Last night at Jackson's Sports Bar, as we all gathered for a fun time watching the Seahawks play, I couldn't help but look at the end of the bar, where he always sat, and not miss having him around already.

We offered up a toast in his memory and I put his picture and some University of Washington Huskies trinkets on his spot at the bar. He was a big-time Husky fan and his wardrobe often reflected that. I'm sorry that he isn't going to see the Huskies finish their amazing season in 2017.

Mostly though, I'll miss having a genuinely good-hearted human being around to call a friend.

RIP, Ray. Go Dawgs!