- Date Of Birth: July 18, 1935
- Date Of Death: November 10, 2013
- State: Indiana
Raymond Earl “Ray” Checchio, 78, of Elkhart, returned to his heavenly home Sunday evening, Nov. 10, 2013, at Elkhart General Hospital after a brief illness.
He was born on July 18, 1935, in Elkhart, to the late Joseph A. and Stella R. (Whittaker) Checchio. Ray was an only child and faced the traumatic experience of losing his mother at the age of 9.
On Sept. 22, 1962, he married Lonita “Dunny” Blosser.
Surviving are his wife of 51 years, Lonita; a daughter, Monica (Mark) Christian; his granddaughter, Shelby E. Christian; and a close cousin, Joseph P. Checchio.
He was preceded in death by an infant son, Raymond Jr.
Mr. Checchio retired from CTS Corp. after more than 50 years of service. Ray had a love of old cars and trucks, and used to give his granddaughter rides in his Model A. He also enjoyed watching “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings” movies. From an early age, Ray developed a love of music and learned to play guitar. His daughter and granddaughter passed on this love of music — “especially classic rock” — to him.
Ray was especially proud of his Italian ancestry and was known for his great sense of humor. He will be missed by all, and especially his granddaughter, Shelby, and her dog, Ellen, or “jashjoboogie,” whom he spent much time with prior to his passing.
