RAY’S STORY
Ray Olafsen’s sixty-six-year pilgrimage finished excellently at 6:48 pm on Monday, October 23rd, 2017.
Pastor Pete Greig reflects, “It’s a gorgeous irony that the most impressive and attractive people on earth are blatantly not trying to be impressive or attractive. They are deeply content: patently comfortable in their own skins, non-anxious and fully present wherever they go. The people we truly admire …. are not necessarily great at anything at all, but they are great at life itself.”
Ray was genuinely great at life.
He was cheerfully married to Doris for 41 years, was an enthusiastic, loyal father to Travis and Jesse, and a present and playful grandfather to six beautiful grandchildren, who were his joy and delight. With a deep affection for his home church, small group, and his neighbours in Langley, he was also delighted to have given 30 years to the gas safety industry.
He loved serving as a Director on the Wellspring Foundation Board and was one of the founding Board members of the Investing Hope Foundation in Colombia. A highlight of his life was returning to school at age 50 and graduating with his MA (Honors) in Leadership from Trinity Western University.
But Ray was also great at death. He had been anticipating heaven since he met Jesus 37 years earlier and left detailed instructions for his family and friends on what they were to do when he went on ahead:
They were to follow that Ancient Path Jesus taught his disciples to walk, and they were to jolly-well laugh as they went.
They were to work. Hard.
They were to be extraordinarily generous and
They were to help others learn to joyfully walk, work, and give.
Not one ever to leave essential details undone, when it became clear cancer would be his transport to heaven, Ray filled in the paperwork to register a new Canadian charity.
The Joyful Living Joyful Giving Foundation received charitable status from the CRA the day Ray died. What an extraordinary gift and sign for his family. There was not much more for them to do except get to work.
So, they did.
Since 2018, through creative fundraising and unexpected happy accidents (such as the bike-a-thon “disaster” of 2022!), the Joyful Living Joyful Giving Foundation has undertaken an annual fundraising event, with one or two charities selected as the beneficiaries each year. A few generous family and friends also personally give to honour Ray through the foundation.
The words on his gravestone capture it all:
He loved extravagantly & unconditionally
He lived Joshua 24:15 “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
His confidence and last words “Outta my way mortals.”
Ray would have laughed at the stunning cycle of generosity propelled into motion by his dying scheming.
He always loved it when a plan came together.
