As a resident of Deerhaven, I do a fair share of hiking up the mountain behind my house. On 90 percent of my walks, I would meet up with Ray. It will be very different now, but I know I will see his face every time I look out over Cannon Ball Lake.
Two years ago February I brought our Old Paramus Reformed Church confirmation class to Yaw Paw. A couple of weekends earlier we had attended a Confirmation Retreat in Warwick, NY. It was there I discovered that these seven teens ha not experienced what it is like to be completely silent without the distraction and noise of talking, cell phones or email.
Camp Yaw Paw was the perfect setting to try to introduce them to quiet reflection.
Joel W. and I scattered the teens at various locations around the lake with some spiritual reading and (hopefully) no cell phones. Forty-five minutes later, Joel and I circled the lake and picked them up.
Ray asked us to see him before we left. He had a job for us to do. The wood pile outside the shop needed to be moved inside. We all made a long line and hand to hand passed the wood in.
When we were done, Ray had some words of wisdom to impart to these young adults.
In summation, Ray advised this valuable life lesson:
In EVERYTHING you do, always be Fair and Consistent. with family, friends, your children and in work. Do that and you will have a good life.
So many memories, too many to recount. But one of the best was before Ray and Anne were married. Ray, Bill H. and I dressed up, took the Jeep down the hill and eventually were at the GW Bridge. What to do, but head across and follow B’way down NYC, getting pulled over by the NYPD in Times Square and talking our way out of it. Then continuing all the way along the ticker-tape route until we reached the Battery. No place further to go, but wait. onto the Staten Island Ferry and across the harbor. Then finding our way to the bridge to Bayonne and up through Hudson County, having lunch at an all-night diner, before heading back up the hill for a 2⁄3 AM arrival at the camp. Never slept better in my life!
Good neighbors, always ready to search for lost campers, between Yaw Paw and Glen Grey!
I remember when Ray was having a work party and needed loppers. Glen Grey loaned him 12 pair and Ray returned them after the weekend . All Sharpened!! That was Ray!
I.ll miss his jokes as he made phone calls to Anne at work.
It has been great to drive "up the hill" these past 4 1⁄2 years to visit camp and check in with Ray. He certainly loved the camp and it showed in all he did! He was a faithful employee to our council.
If Ray was anything like his son is then I am unlucky to not have known him.
Up at camp we would horse around and sometimes Ray would scold us but deep down I knew he was always giggling inside.
Ray always had a joke and straightforward instructions in helping me and the Scouts to repair buildings up at Yaw Paw. His boots will be missed. I was proud to have met him.
A wonderful man with an outstanding family . we love you all.
You could always call Ray to catch a snake or some other critter. You will be missed.
I'll miss our philosophic talks on the mountain. Rays you always made me laugh.
Ray took such wonderful care of everyone at camp. He had such a strong positive influence on my son Ben. Thank you.
Campfires at Yaw Paw have always been magical for me largely due to Ray’s wit, humor, and love of the environment. I’ll always be grateful for his caring way with my two Scouts.
I remember Ray as a high school kid at Old Paramus, involved in Alpha Choir and choir. He was always ready to have fun or share a joke. He was also the only kid I knew who knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life . and then went ahead and did it. Even then it was evident that he was a very good soul.
The camp was a great experience for our sons. We are parents who know that the camp experience with Ray was one that we all talk about still today. Michael, our oldest and still remembers the 6’ rattler that was under his tent pallet. As I said in my letter, "the camp is crying". Ray would probably say it’s good for the plants and the lake. We will miss him.
Ray at camp "teleporting" silently to where staff memebers were misbehaving. singing to a duck at the council ring during a religious service. dragging me out of bed at 1 AM to have me show him a bees nest that needed to be eliminated. tramping along water lines in the middle of the night. and hearing Ray laugh with (and at) me!!!
I’ll never forget how Ray would generously allow our troop to come to Yaw Paw on the December vacation, including even Christmas Day. Or the times when he came down the hill to rescue us when we got stuck in the snow and ice. He was a very special person. We will all miss him.
Ray was an inspiration to us all at camp. It will not be the same without him and will be sorely missed.
Some words of wisdom to me from Ray, "God gave us two eyes, two ears and one mouth for a reason" - to see and hear twice as much as we speak. Miss you bud.
Stop throwing rocks in the lake! There’s 35 square miles of wilderness in all directions. Put your fires out. The water’s ok to drink, it’just red. Leave the snakes alone and they won’t bother you. If you see a bear, get out of there.
You will be missed my friend.
There are not enough descriptive words to describe Ray. Simply he was one of the most influential people in my life. Ray showed me basic trades in the building world. If it wasn’t for Ray I would still be struggling in the field. But more than that he was my best friend. I could rely on him to listen to me, and visa versa. I love him and am going to miss him!
A ’class act’ taken too soon.
On behalf of our two sons, Michael and Daniel, we remember Ray fondly and thank him for all his efforts to make Scouting at Yaw Paw both educational and fun!
I shall miss Ray’s face and sharp sense of humor. I enjoyed the little things at camp, the repair work, clean up and the time I found Ray to dispatch the sick skunk . I thought we were going to get sprayed.
Ray,
You patiently instructed
And bore well the result
You led by example
And set the bar high
You opened our eyes to creation
And our spirits soared
I grew into the man I wanted to become.
Ray was instrumental in shaping the lives of our sons, Matt and Pete. We will always remember how he treated Yaw Paw as a treasure.
Thank you so much for letting us become part of your family . the Camp Yaw Paw family. We loved it up there and Andy still says he knows all the rocks by name.
Ray was always Mr. Scout to me.
We will always be grateful to Ray for his help with our search and rescue efforts. But more importantly, for his warmth and kindness. We will miss him greatly.
One night at a Joyce Kilmer School function (I think it was a concert), I stepped outside for one reason or another. Ray was right outside the door smoking his pipe. I always liked the smell of his pipe. Anyway, I was about 12 years old at the time, and I said, "hi Mr. Banta". He replied, "Please start calling me Ray". I always thought it was pretty neat to be buddies with a grown-up.
While camping at Coyle cabin in the mid 80’s, the boys were playing manhunt in the dark. The scoutmaster and I were lying in the brush on opposite sides of the trail ’stalking’ the scouts. As Ray often did at night, he walked to the cabin with no flashlight and he made no sound in the woods. He passed right by us before we noticed him. Certainly at home with nature.
I will always remember Ray’s encounter with the Copperhead along with other daring stories. He will be missed.
Good evening, Gentlemen.
Such a lovely, kind man we will always remember.
Ray giving me a drink in a square glass.
I will always remember how Ray could fix anything using the most unexpected tools. He also used to scare us by morphing out of nowhere in the woods. My memories of summers working at camp will always include Ranger Ray.
I remember when Ray asked me to ’help’ him move a boulder up the hill to become the monument for Bill Niemann. I never saw a person use a backhoe like he did to lift the boulder onto the truck and then unload it. He was amazing and nothing was impossible with Ray. We all love him still.