Raymond Joseph Nicolai's Obituary
Raymond Joseph Nicolai, 81, went to be with the Lord on October 14, 2022, surrounded by his children and grandchildren after a valiant battle with COVID and its effects. Ray was born on July 3, 1941, in Muskegon, Michigan to his parents Florence Lorraine (Kesteloot) and Raymond William Nicolai. When he was just 18, Ray decided he wanted to join the United States Army and enlisted on February 12, 1960. He served in South Korea stationed in the DMZ and later was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant on February 11, 1963.
After serving in the Army, Ray came back home to Muskegon and started working at Campbell, Wyant and Cannon. Shortly after that, Ray followed his heart for helping people and in 1964 became a firefighter for the City of Muskegon. He worked there for over 33 years achieving the rank of Lieutenant and retired in 1998. As a dedicated father and provider, he concurrently worked second jobs to support his family including as an EMT Specialist, the Maintenance Technician at Beverly Hills Apartments, and for the City of Norton Shores.
Ray met Joy, the love of his life, while replacing her water heater in her apartment. They married on May 19, 1979 and blended their families with lots of love and fun. Road trips and game nights were highlights of raising their family together.
After his retirement from firefighting, Ray realized that sitting at home was not for him and he worked for several years as a maintenance technician at DeBoer, Inc and for the City of Norton Shores until 2020.
When he wasn’t working, Ray loved to spend time in his yard and garden and was known for his beautiful lawn. He also loved to fish and go deer hunting. Ray could fix anything, and his friends and family could always count on his talent for any project they needed help with. He was active in the Muskegon Professional Firefighters Union, member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, and was current secretary on the board at Muskegon Federal Credit Union.
He was most happy spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren with each of whom he had a special connection. Whether it was sharing a meal, attending one of their sporting events, recitals, or concerts, racing and working on cars, or just spending time at home, he loved every minute of it.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce (Haeger); his son Mark (Michelle) Nicolai; daughters, LuAnn (Greg) Ejsmont and Paula (Richard) Prince; sisters, Bernadette “B” (Paul) Birdsall, Yvonne Petersen, and Cheryl Bohland; grandchildren, Stephanie (Bruce) Cothran, Britney (Chad) Andersen, Jeffrey Schugars, Adam (Amy) Nicolai and Korina Nicolai; Daniel, Elizabeth, his namesake Katie Rae, and Rachel Ejsmont; Christian, Sydney, and Zach Foreman and James and Joey Prince; great grandchildren, Charlie Cothran, Carly Andersen and Baby Boy (Adam & Amy) Nicolai who he was not yet able to meet but he loved already; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and of course friends. Everyone who knew him respected him as an outstanding firefighter, loyal friend, and loving Dad, Grandpa, and most recently Papa. Ray was preceded in death by his parents and his son, Joseph William.
A Funeral Service will be held at 2:30 PM, Saturday, October 22, 2022, at The Lee Chapel of Sytsema Funeral & Cremation Services, 6291 Harvey St., Norton Shores, MI 49444, with a visitation one-hour prior. Visitation with the family will be held from 6-8 PM, Friday, October 21, 2022, at the Lee Chapel. Important to Ray was his commitment to donating blood. His compassion for others and desire to help as many people as he could, led him to donate over 26 gallons of blood over the course of his life. To honor his legacy, Memorial Contributions can be made to the American Red Cross. We know he would also have been thrilled to know he inspired anyone to give blood in his honor as they are able. Share memories with the family and sign the online guestbook at http://www.sytsemafh.com.
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