Raymond E. Zuber

Ray Zuber was a man who lived his life on his own terms, his own way, on his own road. He was a tough man, a lifelong biker, with a rough exterior and a gruff voice, yet underneath it all, Ray was a man with a heart made of chrome, just like his beloved bikes. It's Ray's heart we remember most today. Ray's story began on a cool fall day in 1939, in the beachfront town of Muskegon, Michigan. Those were tense days in this country, as the dark clouds of World War II headed for our shores, and the rest of the globe readied for battle. Yet on November 1, 1939, a chilly Sunday the day after Halloween, Edward and Jane (Yanicki) Zuber found reason to celebrate, with the birth of their second son, a boy they named Raymond. Ray's father was a draftsman by trade, and the family lived in the home he designed and built himself on Henry Street. Ray joined his brother Leo, eight years his elder, in the family home, which included a stern upbringing in the Catholic faith. Ray was an altar boy, and attended Catholic Central High School, when he wasn't helping his dad on woodworking projects around the house. From an early age, Ray was quite a handful. He had a passion for cars as a young man, and was driving well before he became legal age to do so. He loved hot rods, and could build a car from scratch, using just the parts. He did body work, engine work, and whatever else needed to be done. He also was a very wild driver, to boot. Admittedly, Ray was also a tough young man, a real scrapper with a short fuse, and he never backed down from a fight. Ray was always the kind of guy who told you straight out if he didn't like you, which led to a few minor run-ins with the law over the years. One day Ray met a beautiful young girl named Lois Lamrock, who was skating circles around everyone else at the Curvecrest Roller Rink. Ray was quite taken with her, and told her so (he was always very direct, remember), but she didn't care for him very much at first. After all, she was a sweet country girl, and he was a rough and tough "city slicker," and two years older than she was. But eventually, Ray won her over, and after a year of dating, the happy young couple was married, on October 10, 1959. It wasn't long before the new husband and wife became father and mother, as well. On July 5, 1960, the couple celebrated the birth of their only child, their son Rick. The new family lived in various places starting out, going wherever Ray could find work. In 1962, Ray and his friend Roger hitchhiked all the way to California looking for work, which was quite an adventure for them. They returned home a couple of months later, though. Eventually, Ray and Lois both found jobs at Automatic Spring in Grand Rapids. After a short stay there, Ray took a job at Shaw Walker, which became the Knoll Group, and finally found a career. Despite his rebellious and independent nature, Ray stayed there until his retirement 30 years later. Ray's real life began when he hit that open road to head home from work each day, home to his beloved Lois. They shared a special marriage, and did nearly everything together, when Ray wasn't working on a project in the garage, of course. Ray and Rick would work on things in the garage, and Lois would talk to them through the intercom. Lois fully supported Ray's passion for cars and motorcycles, and embraced the lifestyle with him. Every year for nearly 30 years, they attended the annual car show in St. Ignace in June, and also made several trips to Sturgis, South Dakota for the world-famous motorcycle gathering. Ray and Lois were a fun-loving pair, and members of many different motorcycle clubs over the years. They were a loyal and trustworthy pair, and always made many friends wherever they went. Lois was always happy to hop on the back of Ray's Harley, and head off down the road. Ray was an excellent rider, and his granddaughter Mindee fondly remembers how he could ride a wheelie for miles and miles. Of course, Ray's grandchildren have many fond memories of him, as they were exceptionally close. He was also very close with his nephews, who he took hunting with him often. When his son Rick got divorced, Ray and Lois became very involved in their grandkids' lives, Brad-Lee and Mindee, and the kids spent every other weekend with Ray and Lois. Ray taught Brad-Lee how to work on cars, and how to weld, and even helped him buy his first car. Mindee gave her granddad a Chihuahua named Monique. Ray always claimed (in that gruff voice of his) that he didn't like the dog, but his family knew better. Ray took the dog everywhere, and even slept with the dog, too! A tough man with a chrome heart, remember. Ray also wore a toupee, which he almost never took off. When his grandkids were young they liked to grab it while he held them, so he quit holding them for awhile! Another funny memory was of Ray nearly falling out of a boat once, trying to grab his toupee after it had blown off! Ray had some health problems through the years, including several heart attacks, requiring a pacemaker, as well as a bad back. Despite all his ailments, he never let them slow him down. Sadly, Ray and Lois were on a fundraising motorcycle ride with some friends in the fall of 2006, when Ray lost control of his bike. He didn't survive the accident, and died on Saturday, October 7, 2006. Ray was a man who lived life on his own terms, his own way. He was a tough man, and a gruff man, but truly had a heart made of chrome, reflecting his love on the friends and family that meant so much to him. He will be greatly missed. Mr. Raymond E. Zuber, age 66, died Saturday, October 7, 2006. He was born in Muskegon, MI on November 1, 1939 to Edward & Jane (Yanicki) Zuber. SURVIVORS: Wife, Lois; son, Rick (Terry) Zuber; 3 grandchildren, Mindee (Brent) Forsberg of Lansing, Brad-Lee Scott Zuber of Lansing & Megan Zuber of Muskegon; 1 great-grandchild, Mitchell Forsberg; brother-in-law, Roger (Carolyn) Lamrock of Ravenna; 5 nephews, Gary (Patty) Zuber, Mike (Marcia) Zuber, Rodney Zuber, Bruce (Lori) Zuber, Kenny Zuber, niece Jodi Zuber & many friends. He was preceded in death by his brother Leo Zuber. SERVICE: A memorial service will be held next Saturday, October 21, 2006, 10:00 AM at Clock Lifestory Funeral Home-Muskegon. VISITATION: Visitation with the family will be held next Friday, October 20, 2006 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon.