Raymond Demarchi - ForeverMissed.com Online Memorials

He enjoyed life and he gave a damn.

On 28 September 2021, at the age of 81, Raymond Alexander Demarchi died peacefully at his home on Cowichan Bay with his loving wife, Carol, at his side. His final year saw him managing the challenges and complications of glioblastoma.

Born 5 June 1940 in Kamloops, Ray was the first of three sons born to Nevis and Guglielmo (William) Demarchi. Nevis was a homemaker who excelled at Italian home-cooking and whose influence is still proudly evident on the dinner tables of her children and grandchildren today. A compassionate woman, she proffered wisdom and advice on all matters life and love. William was a tall, outspoken CPR engineer who enjoyed time in his garden and in the outdoors with his sons and grandchildren. His core mission was to see his sons be the first generation in the family to attain university degrees. Tragically, William and Nevis died in a car crash in 1977.

Ray grew up in Kamloops, immersed in an ethnically diverse community where he spoke both Italian and English. Many of his neighbours had ties to his grand parents’ homeland of northern Italy from where they emigrated in the early 1900s. Ray attended Lloyd George Elementary School and graduated from Kamloops High in 1958. His early adventures included raising pigeons and hunting and fishing the local lands and waters with his father and brothers Dennis and Leonard. He was an accomplished musician, playing the E-flat alto horn in marching bands and the accordion from childhood to his final days. He spent time with his many zias, zios, and cousins at the Florritio egg farm, Comazetto dairy farm, and Pozzabon cattle ranch. His first high-school job was at the Coca Cola bottling plant. Beginning in 1961, he worked at the Canada Agricultural Research Station in Kamloops for three summers with his mentor and life-long friend, the late Len Marchand – a botanist who, before retiring as a Senator, was the first Indigenous person elected to Parliament and to serve in a federal cabinet.

Ray was a member of the Kamloops Boy’s Club and set his sights on wildlife biology after attending an event that convinced him he could build a career that leveraged his passion for the outdoors. His brother Dennis was also influenced by similar forces. After obtaining his M.Sc., Dennis too went on to a successful career in wildlife ecology, establishing the Ecoregion Classification System here in BC.

Ray moved to Vancouver in 1958, where he attended St. Mark’s College then UBC. Gregarious by nature, Ray made plenty of contacts, many of whom became colleagues and life-long friends. Bonds with his cousins Lorraine, Diana, Janice, Fred, and Dennis grew stronger. He received his B.Sc. in Agriculture in 1962 after researching the Chukar Partridge, and his M.Sc. in Agriculture (Range and Wildlife Management) in 1965 after studying the ecology of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep and their winter ranges in the grasslands of the Ashnola Mountains near Keremeos, BC. There, he was introduced to the use of horses in the backcountry. In the years to follow, he would go on to maintain a small stable of pack horses and make frequent trips to the hidden elk and sheep ranges of BC and the Yukon with his sons and close friends like the late Rob Neil.

Ray met Marilyn Kay while she worked at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. They were married in 1964 in North Vancouver. Marilyn hailed from Canim Lake, BC – the daughter of Della and Don, who worked as a lumber inspector. The young couple moved to Victoria where Marilyn worked as a nurse at the Royal Jubilee Hospital and Ray began his career with the Wildlife Branch of the BC Ministry of Environment. His first job involved mapping out the province’s Wildlife Management Units. Soon after, they moved to Cranbrook where Ray took over from Glen Smith as the region’s senior Wildlife Biologist. Marilyn continued her career in nursing, wending her way through Emergency, the OR, Extended Care, and Psychiatry until her retirement in 1998 after which she indulged her passion and talent for visual art.

In 1966 and 1969, Michael and Donald arrived, respectively. The boys were the pride and joy of their parents and grandparents alike. The boys took to the outdoors where their parents introduced them to the wonders of the natural world – from the forests of the Rockies to the marine shores and waters of the Pacific Ocean. They were also keen to take-up the traditions of Italian cooking, as nurtured by their mother (who had, fortunately, studied Nevis’s craft so carefully years before). Ray took Michael in a backpack on a goat hunt when he was just two. Be it in a helicopter, airboat, truck, or snowmobile, the two brothers were often alongside Dad while he went about the hands-on side of managing the region’s wildlife and habitat. Over the coming decades, the three of them shared so many good times hunting, fishing, scuba diving, and experiencing the wonders of this magnificent province and beyond. Annual fall family hunting trips with the extended Demarchi family in Kamloops and the East Kootenay continued a tradition that now spans five generations of the Demarchi name. Brother Leonard never failed to ensure a memorable hunt.

Ray’s sons pursued an education in wildlife science: Michael obtained his B.Sc. in Marine Biology and his M.Sc. in Forest-Wildlife Ecology and is now a VP and Senior Wildlife Ecologist with LGL Limited. After completing his M.Sc. in Zoology, Donald shifted gears and became a Doctor of Optometry like his Zio Leonard. He now operates Cranbrook Vision Care with his partners.

With shades of an arranged marriage in the best spirit of the Old Country, Michael married Catherine 9 years after a pivotal introduction orchestrated by Ray and Catherine’s aunt, Nancy Wilkin. Donald married Lisa Beaulac while nearing the completion of his optometry studies in Chicago. The two couples have raised families each with two grandchildren who filled Ray with much pride and contentment.

As Wildlife Section Head in the Kootenay Region, Ray was responsible for the management and protection of wildlife resources in a biodiverse and socially complex area covering 36,000 square miles of southeastern BC. He continued this work for 28 years, developing a program with 11 professional and technical staff, while forging many close and lasting relationships with his colleagues in the Fish and Wildlife Branch throughout the province. His work was varied and involved collaborating with First Nations; forest, agricultural, and mining industries; non-governmental organizations; hunters and trappers; Crown Corporations; and all levels of government including provincial, federal, as well as US federal and state agencies. He organized and chaired strategic and operational land, range, and coordinated resource management plans over important wildlife habitats and established annual hunting and trapping regulations in a part of the province with a rich diversity of wildlife and long history of challenges when it came to land and resource uses. He and his team, including the late Dave Phelps, were instrumental in securing land parcels that contained critical winter range and in protecting special places like the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy, Mount Broadwood, and Height of the Rockies. He played a key role in the early days of the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund (now Foundation) and BC Hydro’s Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program.

Ray was an ally of Indigenous communities, seeking to empower their leaders in matters concerning natural resources within the ‘provincial system’. And as an unabashed advocate for wildlife conservation, he was no stranger to controversy. This meant that his name came up frequently on the local radio station and in the local papers – so much so, that Michael’s friends would often quip jokingly, “Ray Demarchi says…” in relation to some news report they’d heard or seen.

Marilyn and Ray divorced amicably in 1981. The boys remained in the family home. Soon after, Marilyn married Gerry Oliver – a colleague of Ray’s and a close friend of the family. By chance, Gerry had bought a lot and built a house nearby. Things worked out well for everyone and the boys were always proud to tell people that their parents got along and that their mother and stepfather were their closest neighbours and had remained close friends with their father.

Though ever-generous with his material wealth, the most precious thing Ray shared with family and friends was his time. Regardless of how demanding his workload was, family always came first…period. And he shared his time with the community and beyond. In the 1970s, he helped establish the Cranbrook Boys and Girls Club. He was a self-taught auctioneer who helped raise funds for the likes of the BC Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited, and other organizations that strive to conserve the natural heritage of this great province. He was a lifetime member of the BC Wildlife Federation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Biodiversity Centre for Wildlife Studies. He volunteered countless hours in the interests of conserving the Cowichan Watershed and Estuary.

Not only was Ray present in the moment, he had a penchant for understanding its preciousness; how it fit into the past, how it existed in the present, and how if might shape the future. Fortunately for those around him, not only did he have a gift for seeing the profound details of connectedness in nature, he’d freely and clearly share his insights with those who listened.

Few could tell a story like Ray could. He was never at a loss for words. His passion for wildlife was rivalled only by his love of people – many of whom he mentored in his professional capacity. He was equally likely to tutor a colleague in the best way to find a job or develop a wildlife project as he was to encourage a random waiter to pursue a university education or invest in a TFSA. Many prospered from his sagacious advice – much of it learned through his own challenging life experiences.

Together with Goetz Schuerholz, Ray worked as an international wildlife biologist on trips to Venezuela, Guyana, and Kenya to establish protected areas and wildlife refuges and to assist with the development of resource plans for projects with government officials, landowners, and Indigenous communities. Those experiences, together with trips to Central America, Scandinavia, Italy, other parts of Canada, and all 50 states in the US allowed him to look at the world and its inhabitants through many different lenses.

Ray met Carol Hartwig in 1971 while he was conducting a wildlife survey in the St. Mary Valley. Carol was from Alabama, the daughter of Margaret and Chet who were university professors in math and sociology at Auburn University. Carol had attended Brown University in Providence, RI and the University of Wisconsin, Madison before relocating to BC. In partnership, she owned and operated the 300-hive Sheep Creek Apiaries and volunteered with East Kootenay Environmental Society (now Wildsight). Ray and Carol joined forces with their common interest in wildlife and conservation in 1992 and moved to Victoria where Carol pursued graduate studies at the University of Victoria. They married in 1998.

After 28 years in the East Kootenay, Ray became the Provincial Protected Areas Specialist for the Habitat Protection Branch of the Ministry of Environment. He participated in the development of the Provincial Protected Areas Strategy, tasked with doubling the province’s parks and protected areas. He also co-developed the Provincial Coordinated Access Management Planning Process and initiated the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area and Management Plan.

In 1994, Ray’s bid for the role of BC’s Chief of Wildlife Conservation was successful. He managed a team of 10 wildlife specialists tasked with bringing conservation science to the fore of wildlife management in BC. He chaired and led the development of the Provincial Wildlife Harvest Strategy, the Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy, and the Identified Wildlife Management Strategy. He supervised the development of the Mountain Caribou Strategy and the Northern Moose Management Review. Having accomplished those major initiatives, he retired from the Civil Service in 1997.

Retired, he embraced life as a field technician once again. Be it jumping out of a helicopter for inventory work for his son Donald near Ft. Nelson or tromping around old-growth forests for Carol during her M.Sc. research on Pileated Woodpeckers in the Sooke Reservoir watershed, Ray continued to indulge his passion for wild places. Ray and Carol then moved to a home on the Cowichan Estuary where they formed Ecodomain Consulting and secured contracts preparing COSEWIC status reports for Bighorn and Thinhorn Sheep, as well as many other reports on species like Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, and Moose. Ray and Carol enjoyed traveling across Canada and the US and Europe over many years, visiting National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks, and attending the International Woodpecker Conference in Finland.

Though they moved away from the East Kootenay years before, and despite the comforts of a Westcoast lifestyle, the beckoning of the Rocky Mountain Trench grew only stronger with time. In 2018 Ray and Carol built a summer home at Fort Steele. This afforded them the best of both worlds where they could spend many pleasant months each year bonding with family and old friends, enjoying nature, and reflecting on the beauty of life all around them.

During his last months, Ray was most fortunate to spend time with his family and close friends that visited or called to check-in and eventually, say goodbye a final time. Your love and friendship, and the efforts made by all of you, meant so very much to him. His ashes will be buried near his other home in Fort Steele, at the base of the Rocky Mountains where his self-penned epitaph will read: “He enjoyed life and he gave a damn.” No arguing that. His legacy will be enjoyed by future generations of Canadians who value the splendour of BC’s wild places.

Raymond Demarchi was predeceased by his parents Nevis and Guglielmo (William) Demarchi. He is survived by his wife Carol Hartwig (sister, Christine Gilbertson), by his son Michael, (wife Catherine and their children Emma and Devan); his son, Donald, (wife Lisa Beaulac and their children Alexandra and William); the mother of his children, Marilyn Oliver (husband Gerry); his brother Dennis, (wife Marilyn Robbins and their children Diana and Chris (wife Isla)); his brother Leonard, (wife Terry and their children Julie (husband Mike and their children Carter and Sadie) and David (wife Nicole and their children Ella and Austin)).

The family is most grateful for the compassionate care Raymond received from the many doctors, nurses, caregivers, paramedics, and London Drugs pharmacists that tended to his needs. The kindness and professionalism of H.W. Wallace Cremation & Burial Centre staff are greatly appreciated.
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A Celebration of Life for Raymond was held Saturday, May 21 2022 at the Colombo Lodge in Cranbrook. Our thanks to all those who attended and shared their memories of the man.
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Donations in memory of Raymond can be made to the Cowichan Estuary Restoration and Conservation Association (CERCA) on Vancouver Island, to Wildsight in the Kootenays, or to the BC Wildlife Federation for those wanting to make a provincial contribution. Thanks!

Tributes

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April 3, 2022

So surprised to see this obituary when I was on Victoria News online for another reason. My sincere condolences to Ray's family and friends. I had the privilege of working with Ray as his admin assistant at the Wildlife Branch at the Ministry of Ministry of Environment when he was the Chief of Wildlife Conservation. I remember him fondly and as such a passionate caring individual about wildlife conservation and for the people who worked with him. It was one of the best experiences I had with the BC government. He was an amazing individual and I am sure he will be missed by all who knew him. Sincerely, Maureen Pemberton (Sullivan)

November 30, 2021

From Struan Robertson

So sad of course and we’re thinking of you at this time….. but my, what a full life Ray had and what a lot of really worthwhile stuff he did. Sometime through his own initiative and often with others. Yes '... he gave a damn ’ on many issues, but he also rolled up his sleeves and did something about it. I enjoyed my chats and visits with him although he usually left me breathless .. and struggling to try get my word in.

’Twas intriguing to see how he handled difficult meetings on controversial issues. If you were going to correct or contradict Ray, you better have all your facts correct - because he did. And he could just stand up there and recall any of the related facts, figures, conversations, decisions, events and conclusions from away back. It was entertaining to see how well he handled himself.

We frequently say “How fortunate we are to be surrounded by so many acres of special management and protected lands”. We walk these regularly and give thanks to Ray, Dave Phelps and others who gave their time and energy to ‘..give a damn’ and then get to work. Last time I chatted with Ray was on Lot 48, East side of Columbia Lake at a small ceremony to acknowledge that this last privately owned parcel was now in the hands of Nature Conservancy. Another achievement he was involved with.
You will miss Ray’s huge presence, his love of family and his rollicking sense of humour. We are all fortunate to have known him.

Struan and the Robertson family.

November 26, 2021

We are so lucky to become one of Ray's neighbors. Ray was so nice to my son ,Ethan, Who loved the birds when we were at Duncan. And I was always helped and encouraged by his warming and humous words. I remember every moment we spent together, the moment when the birds landed in his palm and enjoyed the meals, the moment when we walked together and listened to the nature. As long as the memories are in my mind, Ray is with us , with my family. Thank you so much , Ray and Carol. Big hugs, and lots of love.

November 26, 2021

COWICHAN STEWARDSHIP ROUNDTABLE

The Cowichan Stewardship Roundtable is an open and collaborative group based in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, BC. Our work is focused on protecting our water and watersheds, now and for generations to come. Founded in 2002, the Stewardship Roundtable consists of independent groups and individuals with different interests, but as Roundtable members we share a common understanding: the health of watersheds is key to the health of our families, businesses and environment.

November 18, 2021 (Zoom Meeting), Duncan, BC
(Paraphrased from notes, C. L. Hartwig)

TRIBUTE TO RAYMOND DEMARCHI

Tom Rutherford, DFO, Fisheries Biologist

I am honoured to have been asked to say a few words about Ray Demarchi. I struggle to find the right words for people who I respect. With Ray, I think “Heart of a Lion” comes to mind. I never knew exactly what it meant until I met Ray Demarchi. I think in this case, for Ray, it means honest, passionate, and committed to the causes he believed in. He was totally dedicated to the well being of fish and wildlife and the habitats that support them - and support us. Ray was truly part of our community – and he worked to make it a better place. I think about the work that Ray did, from the film about the Cowichan River that he did with Harold Joe, the way he put his shoulder to the wheel for raising the weir, pounding in stakes to show the water levels at Cowichan Lake early on in the 1990’s. He was an active and effective supporter of the Cowichan Watershed Board, - a regular contributor to 2 of our target working groups. Ray was somebody who “showed up” – he contributed and he made a difference.

Our paths never crossed while we were each working in government but I would have loved to have seen him in action. Most senior managers are careful, cautious and conservative - the antithesis of Ray. I can’t ever imagine him being any of those things! It would have been fun to see Ray operate at that level.
Ray was two things that are very important to me personally. He was a leader in our community – and he was a really good friend. He had the heart of a lion….

Rodger Hunter, Estuary Specialist, Cowichan Watershed Board

Ray warrants a four day spread in the Toronto Star, he had influence leading fish and wildlife management in the province, he was influential across the border and he was world caliber. Ray was a great biologist, a great person and we are beneficiaries here in the Cowichan Valley, the East Kootenay and throughout the province. I thought about Ray during my 7 hour Malahat trip (long delays due to flooding), I thought of the things that made him great. It was his alpha-ness; he was an alpha biologist, he was brainy, he was a lot of fun, he had passion and caring. He irritated some because he was very demanding. He was also very successful in everything he touched.

The first time I met Ray was in March 1980 in Vancouver at a Fish and Wildlife Branch two-day meeting for provincial habitat and wildlife management Biologists. Before the meeting someone told me there were going to be a lot of alpha types and it was indeed testosterone city. I was amazed at the cult of alphas, all types; there were the boastful obnoxious types to quiet alpha biologists. One guy was the alpha of all alphas, clearly technically competent, charming, personable and gracious, funny and smart, a fabulous communicator.

Ray was not on the agenda but that wasn’t a barrier for him. Before speaking, Ray asked permission to talk about two things, the Cache Creek Game check which was a rear view mirror and we needed more out of the data in order to manage wildlife, and 2) access which he boiled down to the need to manage people. “Write it down,” he said “Manage people.” And they did. I spoke about estuaries and Ray spoke out in favour of protecting estuaries. Someone asked Ray, “Why do you care about estuaries, there are no estuaries in the East Kootenay!” Ray replied, “I Care... and we all should because they are important fish and wildlife habitat.” I had the most interesting taxi ride of my life with Ray Demarchi.

Ray died of a brain tumour, but that tumour must have been impressed with his brain, what a rich environment. In addition to being a biologist, Ray was musical, he was an expert on time zones and how to change them to increase efficiency, he painted, he had a social aspect, he was charming, broadly equipped to achieve things. Ray was also demanding of himself, he knew it was important to equip yourself for what you were doing and he held people to account. He held all of us and he held politicians to their duty and to the public trust and held them accountable. We should all try to be like Ray, not super-alpha or captain charisma, but we can all be Ray like, the need to manage like he did and holding us all to account. If we did, Ray would be smiling if we acted more like that.

Genevieve Singleton, Environmental Educator

Genevieve read the Tribute to Ray Demarchi from Rob Neil and Bill Hanlon from the Kootenay Advertiser, October 7, 2021

November 9, 2021

I am so sad to hear that Ray has gone, although active and healthy for most of his well spent life. In 1969 I worked as a Wildlife Technician out of the Cranbrook Fish and Wildlife Branch office, although for another biologist, Ian Smith. I didn't get to know Ray really well but in that brief period recognized him as much larger than life, both professionally and personally. And that is certainly borne out here by his biography, these wonderful tributes and anecdotes. It has been very moving to read about Ray, his accomplishments and the great esteem in which he was held by so many people.

I was only with the Fish and Wildlife Branch from 1968 until 1971, then for about a year in 1976 but my encounters with Ray, his brother Dennis, Ken Sumanik, Fred Harper and scores of other wildlife types gave me a much-needed guidance in figuring out what is important, what is right, setting goals and persevering with them. And that it was important to do all those things. Ray and his colleagues walked the talk and were beacons for so many people in so many ways. I am very pleased and honored to have known Ray, even briefly. I offer my condolences to his many family members.

October 20, 2021

I met Ray at a roundtable meeting where continued to meet for several years. I noticed that his writing tablet book had the Auburn University logo upon it. I having attended several courses and seminars at Louisiana State University (LSU) was a LSU Tiger fan. Ray and Carol had attended many Auburn Tiger games and were part of the Alumni of which I have common Auburn Alumni friends. This was an ice breaker for Ray and I. Ray always encouraged professional and ecological relationships. Ray encouraged some Biologists to spend time with me to learn and discover juvenile salmonids in tributaries of Lake Cowichan which led to DNA discoveries and adventures involving bear encounters and SARA listed species. My true Mentor is Ted Burns who writes about Ray in the passage below. Ray was loved by All! I wish that I could spend some more time with Ray. He is dearly missed.
bc
Thanks for sending rays info. He was an absolute giant in wildlife biology and the politics of resource management.. I first knew Ray when he was Kootenay wildlife biologist stationed in Cranbrook where he did some very useful work with east Kootenay cattleman's association and greatly helped improve range management in this critical area often called Canada's Serengeti. If anyone deserves awards from his peers, it is Ray - Ted Burns

October 14, 2021

Ray and I had many adventures together both in the mountains and on the coast. We hunted together, scuba dove together, travelled the Gulf Islands together, partied together and worked together. I applaud all the great things that have been said about him. I would like to describe one of my early adventures with Ray which I think illustrates what a character he was.
Ray introduced me to hunting with horses in the East Kootenay. I had very little experience in this skill and Ray had been at it for years. My first trip with him and Rob Neil was up Joffrey Creek and we set out with six horses in an open trailer with the horses tied all together; three on each side.
On our ride from Cranbrook Ray was at his best, explaining to me anything you needed to know about riding into the mountains. He took great pains to tell me how, if a horse fell down in the trailer, it wouldn't be able to stand up and the other horses could well stand on it and break its legs. His favourite horse 'Babe' was with us.
On the way up the gravel road to our unload site, there was a loud commotion in the trailer and Ray screeched to a stop and we flew back to see what was happening. Immediately Ray started screaming 'Babe's down, Babe's down!!!......His worst night mare!!!!.
Then the Italian kicked in and there was a lot of shouting and swearing with Ray down in the trailer among the horses. Babe would not stand up. So he started yelling at me to get a bucket of water. I glanced down at the Palliser River which was about 300 feet below the road and realised a trip down and back would take hours. After a lot more shouting and swearing I convinced Ray it wouldn't work so he then started yelling at me......PISS IN A BOTTLE, PISS IN A BOTTLE !!!!!!
I eventually found an empty beer bottle in the truck .......but have you ever tried to piss in a bottle with Ray Demarchi screaming and swearing at you???..........believe me it did not come easy !!!!!. However, after some time I managed to squeeze out half a bottle and climbed up the trailer and passed it to Ray.
I was astounded to see Ray's next move. He grabbed Babe's head, pulled one of her ears around and emptied the bottle of piss into her ear.
Be damned if Babe didn't give her head a shake and STAND UP in the trailer!!!!....and that was the beginning of our first of many horse hunting trips.
RIP my friend.

October 13, 2021

I met Ray in summer 1981 as a new Habitat Protection Biologist in the Kootenay Region. We were at a meeting at the Forest Service office in Cranbrook with the Forest District Manager, Ross, Tozer. The issue was the fate of the Akamina Kishinena watershed tucked in the south-east corner of the province. Ray was animatedly making a case for some protected area status for the area. I looked at his briefcase and stuck on the top of it was a bumper sticker.....a nod from the Smokey the Bear slogan....but it said Only You Can Prevent Foresters! I new I had met a character. Years later he, Al Soobotin and myself were with others from The Fish and Wildlife Branch at White Swan Lake around a fire. Soobotin and I on guitar and Ray just honking on that accordian. Late at night. Big decibels. What could make this any better....we knew....fire off a bunch of bear bangers, the coloured ones high into the night sky.....fireworks to music.....All the memories are good ones. Ray Demarchi an amazing man.

October 11, 2021

What can I say. He played the accordion. With mom on the baby grand, Ray on his accordion and a host of guitars, banjos and harmonicas…. Memorable to say the least.
My other vivid memory was of Ray walking, no I should say striding into our kitchen. The map of the Purcell’s was on the table. We were all concerned about opening the discussion on the boundaries of the Wilderness Conservancy. Such a hard fought battle and we were afraid to lose any of it.
Ah…. But Ray’s take. “ we made a mistake. We didn’t make it big enough! So let’s get down to work here.” Losing was just not is his vocabulary and fighting for what he believed in certainly was.
And win he did. In so many ways as we all know.
But perhaps his best win was Carol. What a team they made. Most think Ray moved to the coast away from his beloved Kootenays for his career. Hah. It was so Harper could finish her university. Long on her back burner.
Ray was a giver. And we were all the receivers in countless ways.
Bigger than life. You bettcha!!
I have a great image in my mind of Ray and Art. Scheming from above. So look out!!

October 10, 2021

I came to the Kootenays in the mid 1970s to a job with the Wildlife Branch under the supervision of Ray Demarchi and Ken Sumanik. Talk about baptism by fire! I learned a lot, witnessing first hand the art of managing both wildlife and people. Throughout the years Ray was always there as a mentor, a personal friend, and a supporting influence. While conducting research on the elk of northeastern BC, I mentioned to Ray it would be nice to know the age of the harvest. This led to the development of the province wide "Tooth for the Truth" program. Years later, during what I thought was a casual conversation, Ray informed me that our friend Albert Cooper was short a Stone's sheep for his grand slam, and "...what could you, as Stone's sheep guide outfitter do about that." Soon, I was convinced that I could provide horses and outfit, point them up the valley and they could look after the rest. My only provision was I would have to look after my paying customers firsts. Ray, Albert and Rob Neil spent the first few days of sheep season cooling their heels at base camp, rounding up, breaking and shoeing horses, and more importantly swapping hunting stories with the crew. Somewhere in there they found out about a hidden ram basin, where Albert was successful on his quest. As Ray and Albert swap stories around the campfire in the happy hunting grounds, no doubt many hidden basins will be revealed.

October 8, 2021

Goodbye to a good friend and mentor who provided me with many opportunities to work as a field biologist in the Cranbrook Fish & Wildlife office, as it was called when I first was hired on. My initial job was boiling out moose skulls with Harry Leuenberger to provide measurements and data to convince the Boone and Crockett club to recognized moose in the East Kootenay as Shiras moose. This did not occur but Ray and I did however publish our results with a leading wildlife management publication which resulted in the Safari Club recognizing our work and changing their boundaries. He then put me in charge of coordinating, writing and editing (with as you can imagine lots of advice and changes by Ray and other wildlife staff) the Regional Wildlife Plan, little did he know that my grammar skills were not my best attribute, but I got it done and it was the precursor to many better versions. I guess I did a good enough job as Ray hired me full time and put me in charge of managing a number of species and programs, most notably bighorn sheep, goats, moose, elk, fur bearers, non game and problem wildlife. These morphed into other responsibilities over time. As one of the first female field biologist hired by the Wildlife Branch. I have to thank Ray for his direction, unfailing trust in my work, and friendship for the 17 years I worked for the F&W. Adieu and my condolences to Carol, Mike, Don and his family.

October 8, 2021

A personal tribute to Ray Demarchi
by Rob Neil and Bill Hanlon

Oct. 8, 2021 Cranbrook Townsman

https://www.bclocalnews.com/opinion/a-personal-tribute-to-ray-demarchi/

October 7, 2021

Remembering Ray Demarchi
(by Ken Sumanik)

Rarely can you choose the people you work with but a random event became my good fortune to have Ray Demarchi as a friend and colleague. It was an adventure that ran for a quarter of a century at a time when managing big and small game wildlife was important, and evokes many wonderful memories.
His determination that governments recognize the social and economic value of BC's wildlife resources was shared by many former members of the BC Wildlife Federation, BC Guide-Outfitters, BC Trapper's Association and Naturalist Groups. It continued long after his retirement and was re-affirmed in his presentation at the Kootenay Wildlife Heritage Big Game Symposium in Cranbrook, April 19, 2019.

Maintaining wildlife abundance on lands that were assigned for other uses was inherently conflicting and compromise by mediation or negotiation was not readily available. Ray was unequivocally opposed to serious threats to wildlife resources, as was his predecessor and mentor, the late Glen Smith, the Kootenay Region's first wildlife biologist. This behaviour wasn't always appreciated by the administration and admonishing failed to prevent other criticisms when he considered them serious. The problems were usually a deficiency in knowledge or lack of understanding in newly appointed Deputy Ministers after a change in government. His disdain for some of the more obstinate ones characteristically described by Ray, for one, "He couldn't tell a creek chub from a coho salmon!" and another, "He doesn't know what end of a moose gets up first!". It wasn't easy being a wildlife biologist under distressful conditions.

Collaboration with others was his strength as he sought management information from experienced practitioners and researchers alike and was generous in sharing it with his peers. Inviting biologists from other regions and countries to join him on hunting trips was proven his most effective means of acquiring it!

Ray was determined to use information derived from the Canada Land Inventory (CLI) in anticipation identifying high capability lands for wildlife but the program failed despite his effort and he commiserated it with others equally disappointed.

His leadership in developing Coordinated Land-use Planning (CLRP) brought an end to the Range Wars in the Kootenay. This required other provincial resource managers to integrate their administration efforts to accommodate range, forest and wildlife interests. Sadly, it ended in 1982 and was commiserated equally by Ray and all who participated in the program.

Collaborations were enjoyed especially when hunting with our sons who continue maintaining the family tradition. Trips with Charles Guiguet to hunt Brant at his island retreat in Oak Bay that never produced a single bird but at his invitation to fish salmon at Bamfield when it was a real fishing community produced many fish.

Whether sitting in a boat, around a campfire or at many of our meetings, Ray's opening words, "Amigo, remember when we ... " was followed by a recount of the event, and so many more that made them all come to life, and such a joy to reminisce.

Ken Sumanik October 6, 2021

October 6, 2021

“The quest for truths is synonymous with intellectual controversy”.

This quote was the irascible Ray Demarchi’s byline on his email account and describes Ray’s uncanny ability to engage in a meaningful way with friends and foes alike. I hung on every word of our email exchanges. Ray was one of the most outspoken, brash, eccentric and exciting, yet gentle and confident men I have ever met, and he made cursing an artform. He encouraged me on numerous occasions to initiate organizations such as the Hornaday Wilderness Society to preserve the Hornaday Wilderness, to present wilderness area proposals to the PAS in the early 90’s and gave me sound sheep hunting advice on how to find a full curl dall ram in the wilds of the Tatshenshini which actually led to finding one of his long-lost relatives emerging from a glacier. Yes, Ray in a convoluted way, was related to Kwaday Dan Ts’Inchi or Long Ago Person Found through a matrimonial lineage that only Ray could concoct.

There is a saying…no, more like an earned title, used only on rare occasions, for rare men who immerse themselves in the betterment of wildlife and wilderness and inspire others to do the same - Ray was a Leopoldian. And there are not many of them out there. In my opinion, Ray was our very own Aldo Leopold and was guided by a land ethic and intellect to make good decisions for wildlife, land use and humans alike and fought like hell to do so.

Ray left a legacy in the Kootenays and the province that we have not yet realized the value. Protected areas, wildlife management areas, access management areas and conservation lands. The quattro of the best places to hunt and fish now and into the future. Thank you forever Ray. It was a pleasure to know you as a true friend. Rest in Peace Pisano. God bless Carol and your entire family.

October 6, 2021

Jeanne Halleran McCartney asked me to post this tribute

Memories of working with Ray on Westland and of Friendship.

Met Ray in the early 1970s’ on field trips. He was a natural for “holding forth” in a crowd and always captivated the audience. Such a good communicator.
Ray never seemed to own long johns. During the filming of “Back and Green” with Ross Tozer or on horseback up on Meadow Mountain, it was obvious if we were going to keep filming we had to find him some long johns.
Ray could always be depended on for a good interview. When we were doing the large forums at Knowledge Network, Ray had been on one of the mornings panels. After lunch when we were going back in for the next group. Ray said “I want to come into the producer’s room with you. I am coming anyway”. He was very well behaved and never said a word. He really enjoyed it, but Ray found everything interesting. That is what made him such great company
He told a gathering one time: “Jeanne and I used to have a Love/Hate relationship. It is all love now. She has really changed.” A great laughter ensued.
Filming the Dr. Bert Brink profile at the Junction with Ray, Rod Silver, Daryll Hebert and Freddie Harper, there was a lot of emotion. They had all been students of Dr. Brink’s. Such good men.
In 1993, I was Land Use Chairman for the B.C.W.F. There was so much going on but I had to take a short break. When I got back to my place in New West. I phoned Ray. He said I will meet your ferry. Carol has to study all weekend. It was Thanksgiving. Ray and I talked and talked and walked and walked and he brought me up to speed. Then I showed them how to make pumpkin pies for dinner.
After Ray was diagnosed, he called and we had a good visit and shared laughs. How lucky I was to have such a friend and the wildlife to have such an advocate.
Jeanne

October 6, 2021

I am going to miss this remarkable, one-of-a-kind human being. I'm sad to learn Ray has shuffled off this earthly coil, but so very glad that I knew him, got to share a bit of his tireless energy, and his incredible knowledge of and dedication to BC's wildlife and special places. Rod Silver said it best: "He was a remarkable mentor." So right! Ray asked me to write a number of reports for the Wildlife Branch and helped me with his enthusiasm for my approach. He adamantly supported my words when what I researched and wrote didn't exactly jibe with what the government of the day wanted to be said. He truly was a magical mentor at a time in my life when I needed the confidence to continue in what has become my primary work for the past 25+ years. I will always be grateful for knowing Ray. I will never forget his generosity, his humour, his quirky smile, and his accordion playing. My condolences to all his family, and especially to Carol. RIP, my friend. The Angels have you now.

October 5, 2021

I loved the Ray Demarchi spirit;
a wonderful guy who was always right there if you had something to say - he was interested in people.
I worked with Ray (1990's) while mapping the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy and by setting up evaluation zones to argue with Forestry and others as to why the boundaries should stay - Ray and colleagues won he jumped across the room in delight - the wildlife there was protected.

Ray came along at a time of unprecedented wildlife-ecological planning in BC.
From the 1960's where they had Resources for Tomorrow reports, to the Canada Land Inventory which ran from the 1960's to the late 1970's Ray's future seemed to be set, as the East Kootenays were well inventoried for wildlife - by his brother Dennis and colleagues.
Now for the applications, and this is where I so admired Ray and his team, he took the data and maps and created protective policies for winter range and conservation measures. He thought and he fought for wildlife tirelessly.

And it didn't stop there, on into the 1990's he strove, guiding the biodiversity programs and protected areas and park strategies.

Ray was there for the land, people and wildlife of BC.

And we all got to see that happen - Carol by his side.

..max

October 4, 2021

Ray was a colourful speaker at our Career Night at Selkirk High School in Kimberley in the spring of 1967.
With the personality and spirited delivery of an evangelist, he absolutely convinced everyone of us that we should aspire to be wildlife biologists.
I took his advice to heart and, in 1975, he hired me as the first West Kootenay wildlife biologist. Lucky me!
Ray was a remarkable mentor. He was caring, kind, inclusive, knowledgeable and a very dedicated leader. And, he had an opinion about just about everything.
He often courted controversy. His naturally gregarious nature complemented his “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu” philosophy.
He had a great sense of humour-he laughed with you; he laughed at you; but most importantly, he laughed at himself.
Ray Demarchi was one of a kind- a truly remarkable mentor/colleague/friend who leaves a remarkable legacy.
To borrow from the words of a Dan Fogelberg song:-
“Our lives have been a poor attempt to imitate the man,
We're just proud living legacies, to the leader of the clan”.

October 4, 2021

I worked as environment reporter for The Vancouver Sun and enjoyed my interviews with Ray. He was a straight shooter, always told it like it was. A big contrast from today, where reporters receive email responses from government communications staff. After Ray retired, he was always there to answer any questions I had about wildlife. Sorry to hear he's gone.

October 4, 2021

As former Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources for the State of Alabama, on behalf of the people of Alabama, I want to extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family of Ray Demarchi.

Ray Demarchi was a role model to wildlife managers across the globe. His example to all of us is that to do what is right, we must be bold. To do what is right for our wildlife resources, we must have the boldness to confront humans, forge coalitions, and convince them to do the right thing for wildlife.

I first met Ray Demarchi during an elk hunting trip to the East Kootenays with Hank Campsall in the 1980s. In our first meeting next to a campfire, Hank told me that Ray was the wildlife manager who had the guts to propose the six-point bull elk restriction, which was initially met with strong opposition from the guiding industry. But because of Ray’s character, tenacity, and excellent people skills, the six-point rule was adopted, and it still stands today. And it created elk herds and a healthy guiding industry that was the envy of North America. Today, the world is in dire need of wildlife managers with the boldness of Ray Demarchi.

As much as Ray Demarchi meant to me as a wildlife professional, he meant even more to me as a friend. Whenever I saw or called him, I would say, “Raymondo, mi amigo!” Over the years, we enjoyed many deep conversations about life, not just wildlife. Raymondo was bigger than life. His smile, his laughter, his caring, and his wisdom were medicine to my soul.

To Carol, the boys and the entire family, I pray that God will pour out His comfort upon you during this challenging time. Because Raymondo was one of a kind, he cannot be replaced. But because this special man will always live in our hearts, Raymondo lives on. May each of us honor his life and his presence in our hearts by striving boldly each day to make the world a better place.

Raymondo’s self-penned epitaph was, “He enjoyed life and he gave a damn.” It wasn’t just an epitaph. It was a challenge to us all.

October 4, 2021

well done Dennis H.!!! (below)

I first met Ray when I came to work for him in Cranbrook in 1974. A very long time ago. My life would have been very different if we had not met. He was a great mentor and friend. I will miss our grand debates on every topic under the sun.

He will be remembered by people from every walk of life here in the Kootenays. If we can organize a memorial here in the EK, we had better plan on hundreds attending, from wildlife folks, to loggers and ranchers and government folks to enviros and horse folks and just plain folks.

He made a huge difference in a lot of lives here and to long term, intelligent resource management in this part of the world.

October 4, 2021

Demarchi gone? Carol in mourning? It can't be!

I have had one of the greatest pleasures of my life living on Khenipsen Rd., since the day Ray and Carol retired and chose this unique place to live. And I'm sure everyone else who lives here has many reasons to feel the same.

I met him at another residence on Khenipsen a year or two before he retired. It was brief but I immediately knew we would be great friends forever. Well, it has not been forever but his memory will be.

We often engaged each other in conversational battle while driving somewear, the level of our voices eventually reaching ear pepping levels, the subject matter long lost but the friendship never!

My sorrow can not match what Carol and his family will be enduring. My love to you all.

Good by Romando

Bob Holden

October 4, 2021

I worked with Ray and Bob Fontana on behalf of Guides and Outfitters Association of British Colombia (GOABC) , and John Holdstock of the British Columbia Wildlife Federation on the implementation of Grizzly Bear strategy in the middle to late 1990s. Initially he was the Director of Provincial Wildlife, then later he was a professional consultant. He competently advised and addressed the bio-political issues facing the hunters of that day and left me with an unforgettable memory of a caring and competent individual that really gave a dam and that made all the difference. Sorry our lives went in other directions afterwards because it was my loss. Dam if he did not make and give a great deal (dam). So long old buddy! John J Jackson III, Past President of Safari Club International, Chairman of Conservation Force (Life Member of GOABC and BCWF).

October 4, 2021

Big Ray Demarchi (adapted from song Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean (1961))

By Dennis ‘Milt’ Hamilton

Every mornin’ before nine you would see him arrive
He stood six-foot tall and soaking wet weighed one-eighty-five
Kinda curly on the top and narrow at the hip
And everybody knew you didn’t give no lip to big Ray
(Big Ray, big Ray)
(Our man Ray)

Everybody knew the Kootenays was Ray’s home
And being a gregarious man, he was never alone
He had lots to say, he wasn’t quiet or shy
And when it came to wildlife, he was our guy

The Kamloops Demarchi clan from whence he came
Where a good education was the name of the game
And a crashin’ blow would be a comin’ your way
Should you be thinkin’ you had a haughtier wildlife say
(Big Ray, big Ray)
(Our man Ray)

Then came the day with headquarters sighing
With politicians crackin’ and some of ‘em crying
This loose cannon from the Kootenays was causing them pain
And everyone thought they’d be ‘early retirin’, Big Ray

Like a full curl ram, he did not back down
Bring it on he said, he was a comin’ to town
With family and friends abound he gave a mighty shove
Wildlife was his domain, he was not yet done
(Big Ray, big Ray)
(Our man Ray)

Through the dust and the smoke of this sometimes-political hell
Emerged the giant of the man everyone already knew well
A passionate wildlife advocate, mentor, colleague, friend and bigger than life forever to be remembered
Grande Raymond, nostro amico Raymond Demarchi

October 3, 2021

I was lucky to meet Ray in high school in Kamloops. He was two years ahead and he always showed me the way. We shared summer jobs at the Range Station in North Kamloops while we attended Agriculture at UBC. His mom quietly wrote me a letter of recommendation to get me into St Mark's College and Ray took care of me there. George Wyse and I were room-mates and they made sure that I got into medical school by making Chem 300 look easy. Ray's mom and dad were the most generous, fun loving and enthusiastic parents we knew as teenagers...for me it was a lasting positive impression. Raymond Demarchi and his family are some of the best people we will ever meet. Tad N.

October 3, 2021

I met Ray in the early 90's and we worked together at the Ministry of Environment a great deal through the 90's and early 2000's. I am filled with sadness at the learning of his passing, but filled with joyful memories and gratitude for his significant role and influence as a mentor and teacher in my early career as a conservation biologist. His passion for wildlife and wild places, willingness to speak truth to power, and knowledge of ecology and wildlife management were an inspiration. I regret not spending more time with him and Carol in his retirement. Such a special man. May he rest in peace and his legacy live on and grow. With love,
Kaaren

October 3, 2021

Carol became our friend first, through music connections, and a happy extension of knowing and loving her, was meeting her wonderful husband, Ray. We instantly felt his warmth, his true interest in and love for other people, his ability to make us feel we had been friends forever. We wish we had had more years to get to know him even better, to bask in his sunny nature. It is lovely to read his life story and learn how instrumental he was in preserving wildlife in this beautiful province. We will miss him, as will everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. Such a vibrant spirit as his never really dies. We hold Carol close in our hearts as she mourns her dearly beloved and adjusts to this new chapter in her life.

October 3, 2021

I took classes from University of Idaho up to Cranbrook to visit with Ray and learn about the burning program they had implemented. They were further along in their use of fire than we were "down south" in Idaho and the northwestern states. Ray was a superb lecturer and we got out to see the results of his management. I always thought those students I took up there would remember his words and were very lucky to get that experience.

October 3, 2021

We have been privileged to call Ray and Carol amongst our closest friends, part of our small "inner circle". We are so glad to have lived close enough that we could visit with each other on a regular and ongoing basis over the years. So many memories! From our trip years ago with the UVic geology students to Hawaii, to our visit to England, and all the visits here in the Kootenays and on the island over the years. I am especially thankful that last summer, just before Ray got sick, we got to see them at Premier Lake many times for summer afternoon swims and delicious food. And this summer too...just one visit but as always it was memorable.

Ray was such a unique, dynamic character - adventurous, smart, funny, and utterly unique! I remember meeting him for the first time at that party at Bob Jamisons, and thinking, "wow, here is a guy who stands out in a crowd". I was so happy when he and Carol got together and moved to the coast so we could continue to develop our friendship.

He will be so missed. I'm feeling very sad that he is gone from this physical world, but he'll never be gone from our memories.

October 2, 2021

Ray, you have gone far too soon, but you're out standing contribution over many years to conservation of wildlife in B.C. will be the hallmark of your career as a biologist.
Not to be overlooked though, your ability to make friends and maintain friendships over all these years is another tribute to you as a very warm and giving person.
Our friendship during the years together in the Fish and Wildlife Branch and after, will be a lasting memory.
The "Trench" welcomes you back my friend.

October 2, 2021

I couldn’t resist sending in some words because of the touching, beautifully written memorial. Ray would be pleased. I barely knew him, saw him now and then when I visited his brother Dennis who I was privileged to get to know. It was such a pleasure to visit the wildlife branch back in the day.

October 2, 2021

Oh how we valued the time of growing up with the Demarchi family who lived "across the lane" from us in Kamloops. The memories of the Demarchi boys working in our soft drink business are still clear in my memory.
My Mum and Nevis were close friends and Nevis was kind enough to give Mum her recipe for spaghetti and spareribs. Betty and I still use and enjoy it to this day.
My sister Joan was a frequent visitor to the Demarchi home, always welcomed with open arms.
I was happy to have a visit and talk over old times with Ray, a few years ago, at a Kamloops High School reunion for Island residents.
The Hoover family sends appreciation for all Rays accomplishments and our sympathy to the Demarchi family, Ron, Betty and Joan Hoover.

October 2, 2021

Ray:
Ray, words are so inadequate at times like this, but I want you to know that you have been an inspiration to me in my personal and professional life and I am so proud to be your “friend” and to be referred to as your amigo. Most of us have many acquaintances in our lives but to have a true friend like you is special and you are one of those very special people that I have met on my journey through life.
I will always appreciate your advice, mentorship and strength through all the adversity we often faced while trying to ensure that wild spaces remain in our Province and that wildlife was recognized as an important part of our culture and heritage. Your passion in this regard has been astounding.
I will also cherish your generosity and companionship that was such an important part of our adventures into the Purcell Mountains and Tuchodi River watershed. Every trip to those remote places nurtured my soul – thank you!
I will always remember and have fond memories of the time you played the accordion at midnight on Baker Street in Nelson; the time that you marched up my driveway playing Christmas carols to my kids; the time that you played the harmonica at Caribou camp with a client of Hank Campsall’s; arguing with Ken Sumanik on the Lake Else River when he said there were no fish there and it was literally teaming with fish; the adrenalin rush when, under moonlight, we paddled through a narrow gap in a log jam on the Maurice River; enjoying, on the same river, a surreal moment when the rain stopped, the clouds parted and a bald eagle soared and circled above our canoe and for introducing me to some very memorable and sometimes “edgy’ characters that you enjoyed hanging with so much …. Oh, there is so much more.
Take care brother and have a safe journey.
Rober’ (The Raincoat Cowboy)

October 1, 2021

I am so deeply saddened. Ray and Carol were very good friends to me, particularly when I was hanging out with our mutual friend, Brian Clark who "left his moccasins on the beach" four years ago. We had many a delightful evening. I was always blown away by Ray's knowledge and passion for wildlife and how it had been mismanaged so many times in our province.

I have been honoured to call him a friend, and I shall miss him. I hope to see you again soon, Carol, because you were wonderful to me too. With great love,

Sharon

October 1, 2021

I was proud to call Ray my friend.

We were neighbours in Cowichan Bay where we spent a lot of time together crabbing and cooking and enjoying the results.

Ray and Carol loved good food so we shared many a dinner--even some in some far away places like Yarmouth where we lived for awhile and where the four of us covered the kitchen table with newspaper and made a delicious mess by the wood stove cracking and devouring fresh from the sea lobster.

Memories of pheasant hunting in Alberta and myriad other get togethers will live on.

Ray was a fine host, an excellent guest and always the great raconteur with an endless stream of anecdotes.

The world will be a smaller place for me with him gone.

Simon Jones

October 1, 2021

I only met Ray a few times in my career in BC Environment. Simply - wow. We were working on protecting the MKMA. In my mind, Ray was the heart and soul of fish and wildlife management in BC. Never will be forgotten. I am fortunate that now I have the privilege to work with his son, also a well respected biologist. I hope to carry on and live up to a world renowned conservation ethic led by Ray DeMarchi. My condolences to the family.

October 1, 2021

In the 80s and 90s I had quite a lot of interactions with Ray. I always deeply appreciated his knowledge about wildlife, passion for wise stewardship and unhesitating advocacy for doing the right thing. He could be quite a handfull but I always enjoyed our times working to find solutions that would advance conservation and stewardship of some of our most precious assets. We are all the better for his time among us.

October 1, 2021

Great tribute to a great man. Ray may be no longer with us in person but his legacy is strong with his family and friends.

October 1, 2021

My early recollections of Ray were while attending UBC in the early 60's. On the side, to hopefully offset university costs, we sold Christmas trees in the rain in Burnaby, and bought penny stocks on the Vancouver Stock Exchange.
   Ray had a very good memory and was a great storyteller. I did ask him how he remembered all the details in his stories and he admitted that on occasion he did have to fill in a missing gap or two.
   I enjoyed going on hunting trips with Ray, and among the special trips I recall were with Ray and his brother Dennis hunting for mountain sheep in the Prophet River area of northeastern BC and in the Tatshenshini River area of northwestern BC. In regard to the latter trip, the following year Ray offered directions to the area to two of his E. Kootenay hunter friends, and they discovered the "ice man" melted out of a snowbank. Items with the aboriginal man were carbon dated at approximately 600 years age.
   In later years, Ray was Wildlife Section Head in Victoria and supervised the development of the provincial Wildlife Management Plan. I worked closely with him during those years, during which he supported my development of the provincial big game distribution maps and as Ungulate Specialist, my mainly unsuccessful attempts at simplifying and liberalizing regional hunting regulations!
  Ray was one of a kind and a great guy. He will be sorely missed.

October 1, 2021

A good man and a life well spent.

September 30, 2021

I was lucky. I met Ray early in my career as a professor at UBC. Of the courses I taught my favourite was wildlife biology. Trying to teach that well meant I was all over the province. But there was no doubt that my favourite place was the Kootenays. It would be hard not to have a good time while working with Ray. I came to work throughout the province but my favourite place was the Kootenays. It wasn't just the diversity of wildlife species. Much of it was sharing goals, working with Ray and having a good time doing it.

September 30, 2021

I remember as a kid I would always get excited when my uncle and cousins would visit from Cranbrook and one of my fondest memories was dancing some sort of polka/foxtrot with Ray in front of the Parliament buildings during Symphony Splash.
With a name like Demarchi working in wildlife at the Ministry of Environment I have had all sorts of people come up to me over the years saying they knew my uncle and I always appreciated any stories they had for me. There is no doubt he was a LEGEND.
Love you Zio, miss you,
Diana (aka DeNiece as opposed to DeNephew)

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Ray plays the accordion with his grandkids

Wedding reception for Nathanial and Mercedes in Murcia, Spain 2019, parents of the groom, Nan Goodship and Peter Spohn

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His Life

Albert and the Bluebird

October 16, 2021

Raymond A. Demarchi
February 19, 2011

Society is becoming less tolerant of hunters as urbanization causes us to lose touch with nature. Some go so far as to say that hunters enjoy inflicting pain on harmless, defenceless, innocent animals. Lacking the experience of hunting themselves or not knowing any hunters personally, they denigrate their fellow human beings who hunt and they campaign against hunting without truly understanding the important role that hunting plays in the conservation of nature. Nor do they seem to understand that we all need to exploit animals to survive – if even ‘only’ to destroy their habitat to grow our food. Some who oppose hunting care not to learn about what motivates hunters in today’s world and they simply do not accept that most hunters have a deep respect for the creatures that they hunt and kill.

My friend, Albert Cooper is a hunter who made his living as a guide outfitter – a professional hunter, for almost 65 years. He began during the Great Depression, hunting to help put food on his family’s table, and started working as an assistant guide when he was 15 years old in 1939 – a year before I was born. He eventually purchased the guiding territory where he apprenticed and became one of the most successful guide outfitters in Canada, guiding more hunters to bighorn sheep, elk, and grizzly bears, than just about any other person in the wilderness of the Canadian Rockies where he operated his guiding business until he retired in 2004.

In the 1970s and 1980s, and prior to his own annual guiding season, Albert worked for another guide outfitter in the Yukon where he trained horses for both riding and packing (Albert employed the horse whisperer method of training horses long before it was popularized by the book of the same name). I had hunted in Albert’s territory and had spent many a pleasant hour over the years in his company. One summer in the mid 1980s, he invited me to accompany him to the Yukon. I was to work for the same guide outfitter for a month in exchange for a chance to hunt for a Dall’s sheep ram. I jumped at the chance!

Albert and I flew to Whitehorse where we boarded with the guide outfitter and his wife and began purchasing supplies for the coming season. We loaded everything into a five-ton freight truck then drove 300 miles north to the tiny community of Elsa where we loaded the supplies into a Beaver floatplane that was destined for the base camp 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Multiple flights were required.

The road to Elsa travels through the Boreal Forest which covers some of the flattest and most monotonous landscapes in Canada. The trip was mostly uneventful with Albert doing most of the driving. At one point we hit a bird… a beautiful male Mountain Bluebird – the bluest of all three North American bluebird species. The front of the truck struck the bird, hurling it sideways over the hood in a burst of bright, azure feathers and into the ditch on my side.

“Did you see that?” Albert asked.

“Yes,” I replied, “Too bad. It was a male bluebird.”

We didn’t stop to see if the bird was dead because it was obvious to both of us that it could not have survived the impact. We resumed our previous conversation as if nothing had happened.

We spent the night in Elsa, finding it extremely difficult to go to sleep because being so close to the Arctic Circle and being midsummer, it was bright daylight except for about 45 minutes of ‘dusk’. We flew to the main camp the next day in a Cessna 185 float plane, spent a night in the main camp, and the next morning, leaving Albert in the main camp, I was flown to a remote lake in the owner’s Supercub to prepare a fly camp for the guide’s client hunters who’d arrive in a week.

After a week’s work on the fly camp, my job was finished so I radioed for the camp pilot to come and pick me up in the single passenger Super Cub and take me back to the main camp.

It was now a full week since I had seen Albert who had been busy training the new horses which had been trailed into the base camp over a high mountain pass in my absence. Albert and I were to share a tent. We ate dinner in the main lodge and after dinner, I changed out of my work clothes which I washed in a bucket and a scrub board, had a cold shower (there was no hot running water even in the main camp) and went to bed early and quickly fell asleep. I awoke about two hours later and glanced over at Albert. I was surprised to see that he was lying on his back, with his eyes wide-open staring at the ceiling of the tent. It was still as bright as midday inside the white canvas wall tent.

“What’s the matter, Albert,” I asked him, “Is it too bright to sleep?”

“Nope,” he replied. (Albert always was a man of few words).

“Then what is it?” I enquired.

“Well,” he hesitated, “Actually, I am thinking about that bluebird.”

“You mean the one that we hit with the truck?”

“Yeh, that one,” Albert replied.

“Albert, it was just a bird,” I said, trying not to sound too incredulous.

“I know, but I have been coming up here for quite a few years now and it’s the only bluebird I have ever seen in the Yukon, and I killed it.”

I did not respond – mainly because I could not think of anything appropriate to say to the man. It was obvious that the death of that little bird was weighing heavily on his conscience, yet it was a personal matter for Albert to deal with. Here, beside me in the isolation of the North, was a lifelong hunter facing the age-old philosophical conflict between one’s deep, abiding respect for animals and the act of taking their lives. Perhaps the bluebird was a metaphor for all the other beautiful animals whose lives he had taken over the years. Perhaps not.

During the decades since that trip, I have reflected on the story of Albert and that bluebird many times – especially when confronted by people who oppose hunting. Despite the obvious irony, it has reinforced a lesson I was taught as a child: none of us should be quick to judge others. Hunting is a deeply personal pursuit. And while not every hunter will experience or be troubled by this conflict, if there is a lesson in Albert’s story it is that no one truly knows the heart of another person. Perhaps the closest we might come is through our own life experiences that spark a greater understanding and appreciation of the world around us and our place in it – including the fundamental roles of hunting, conservation, and our existence as compassionate human beings.

A Child of Two Time Zones

September 30, 2021

Ray grew up in a home that for half the year existed on two time zones because his father's employer, the Canadian Pacific Railroad observed standard time while the rest of the community operated on daylight saving time. This plus his experience working as a provincial biologist in a region of the province situated in two time zones instilled an early interest in time and time zones.

The idea of reducing time zones occurred to him on a trip across the southern USA when he and his wife left his father-in-law's home in Auburn, Alabama and drove on the freeways across Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas for two and a half days to arrive nearly in El Paso - a distance of more than 1300 miles before having to set his watch back one hour.

The following essay was written by Ray Demarchi in 2007. At that time, he was running a website, Revising North American Time Zones (view an archived version here).

Unlike most children who grow up mostly oblivious to time, my two younger brothers and I grew up in a household where time was an important and constant factor. My father was a railroad engineer with the Canadian Pacific Railroad and because the railroad did not observe daylight saving time, for approximately six months out of each year our family lived in two time zones. Like all freight train crewmen, Dad was on call 24/7. This meant that he went to work and came home at all hours of the day or night, regardless of what day of the week it was, Sundays and holidays included. The phone would ring and our mother or one of the three of us brothers would take the telephone call, calling Dad to work. In summer he would be asked to report at a time that was one hour later than we were observing and in winter it would be the same time. Being a “railroader”, Dad also operated on a 24 hour clock and we soon became familiar with that system. We had to learn to add and subtract quickly so we could convert times between the 12 hour and the 24 hour clock. There never was any confusion in summer or winter and I cannot recall even one time when we got the time for him to report incorrectly even though we each in turn started taking the calls at a young age.

A few years after I had left home and finished a post graduate agricultural degree in plant and wildlife science at the University of British Columbia, I got a job as a wildlife biologist with the provincial government in Cranbrook in the East Kootenay Region of southeastern BC. Once again, time became an important factor in my private life and in my work. As it happened, the East Kootenay was set in the Mountain Time Zone whereas most of the rest of the province including the city of Nelson in the West Kootenay Region where my headquarters office was located some 150 miles west, was in the Pacific Time Zone.

To complicate communications and travel planning even further, the farming community of Creston situated in the West Kootenay in the intervening area of lower Kootenay Lake refused to acknowledge daylight saving time, preferring to remain year ‘round on Mountain Standard Time.

Timing the approximately two hours of travel to catch the ferry across Kootenay Lake where the switch is made in the two time zones between East and West Kootenay was only slightly less complicated than calculating the trajectory of a satellite to engage the Mars orbit. There were several times when I miscalculated and arrived at the ferry terminal for a one-hour wait.

One particularly frustrating and time wasting activity was trying to communicate with someone by telephone during regular office hours in the rest of the province outside of the East Kootenay region. The Provincial Government Union Contract specified a seven-and-a-half-hour workday. Accounting for the differential in arrival and departure times, and coffee and lunch breaks there was a maximum 2.5 hours in any workday when I could talk to someone by telephone or when someone could contact me. As a consequence the head of the section, hardly a day went by for nearly 30 years that I was not found in my office making telephone calls to headquarters long after the regular staff had left for home.

Of course, being an hour ahead of the rest of the province did have its benefits when it came to watching the news or a sporting event. Being an hour earlier than the rest of the province for example, East Kootenayites had the option of enjoying an extra hour of sleep. For many people however, getting up and going to work early took on a sort of special status and often became a friendly but serious competition between friends, neighbours and colleagues.

I have traveled both nationally and internationally in conjunction with my profession as a wildlife biologist and experienced the usual time changes and impacts of jet lag. When I retired from government after 33 years of service, I moved to a quiet rural community on the shores of Cowichan Bay on the east coast of Vancouver Island-a place where time, for a high percentage of its population who are retirees, is a casual affair. I left many of my family and friends in the East Kootenay. I also married a woman whose parents live in Auburn, Alabama. I found it rather curious that while the East Kootenay was only a few hundred miles away from where I now live on the coast of British Columbia that it is a full hour ahead while Auburn is a few thousand miles away and is only two hours ahead.

Time continues to shape my life and I admit that I have become a bit obsessed with this business of time zones. My experiences with time differentials are what brought me to develop this Website. I suppose in some small way, my experiences with time zones were unique. These experiences revealed to me the waste in time and energy and the inconvenience of excessive local, national and international time zone differences.

It is well over 120 years since the adoption of Standard Time throughout the world. It is long past due that they are brought into the modern era. I strongly believe that reforming our time zones will contribute to the efficiency of the economy including the conservation of time and energy. Bringing attention to this issue of wasted time is not new. After all, a proposal was made more than 120 years ago to create one time zone for all of the contiguous USA. Even today China which spans four time zones, the same number as the contiguous U. S. operates under one single time zone while Australia which barely spans three time zones labors under one of the most complex systems of regional time zones in the world. I would not propose that we adopt the former or the latter but that we at least rationalize the current time zones with a view to reforming them.

Whether this work will be taken seriously and result in a reformation of North American time zones only time will tell. In the meantime, if I have increased my readers understanding of time and time zones, I will have at least accomplished part of my goal.

Raymond A. Demarchi Cowichan Bay, BC June 2007

A Crisis of Crises

December 1, 2022

Originally published on LinkedIn

In the lunchroom recently, a colleague hit me with a sarcastic question: “Is it just me, or is everything a crisis these days?” My first reaction was laughter, because, like all good comedy, there’s a measure of truth to it. Then I gave it more thought.

Turns out we’re beset by an endless array of problems labelled as crises. A simple search of the news makes the point. Whether it’s the climate, opioids, COVID 19, affordable housing, overfishing, deforestation, famine, international conflict, overwork, ocean plastics, supply chain, refugee, energy, gun violence, health care, mental health, or you name it, there’s a crisis at every turn. As good as we are at solving problems, it seems to me that we’re better at creating them. It’s enough to stir despair (and to prompt Collins Dictionary to declare ‘permacrisis’ as 2022’s word of the year).

Collins Dictionary defines a crisis as a situation in which something or someone is affected by one or more very serious problems. So, what constitutes a very serious problem? Again, Collins tells us that serious problems or situations are very bad and cause people to be worried or afraid. Well now, that’s a pretty low bar. One person’s crisis might be another person’s opportunity. Fertile ground for debate at best and armed conflict at worst.

In the recent Netflix doc, Stutz, we’re told about three fixtures of the human condition: pain, uncertainty, and constant work. So, to the extent that pain and uncertainty can cause worry and fear, we’re destined to a perpetual state of crisis. I suppose that only leaves us with the constant work of mitigating extant crises and doing our best to stave off future ones.

My father schooled me in the wilds of the Rocky Mountain Trench – a massive feature carved by glaciation so very long ago. We’d tour the winter ranges of a diverse array of wild ungulates like Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, and all the other critters that sought refuge there from the harshness of winter in the mountains. Dad would often rail against the over-grazed state of the ranges. “Look, son,” he’d say “those cattle haven’t left a single tuft of bunchgrass for the elk this winter and the loggers have removed their cover.” And he was right. All too often, the wildlife’s winter food supply had been usurped by Bos taurus while their thermal cover was being milled and pulped. I suppose it might have amounted to a crisis. But then, recognizing that he was probably burdening a young boy with too much negativity, with a glint in his eye he’d tell me “But son, don’t despair; the glaciers will take it all back again one day. Mother Nature always gets last at-bat.” Notwithstanding the discordant timescales of human generations and interglacial periods, I suppose it was his way of expressing that the present situation wasn’t bereft of hope.

As a professional biologist, I’m often tasked with finding solutions to problems. Whether they amount to ‘serious’ problems (and by extension, crises) is a matter of perspective. Yet, suffice it to say, there is no shortage of need for bright minds and heavy lifters in the field of environmental consulting – and everywhere else, for that matter, where the constant work of problem-solving is the only means of alleviating the pain and uncertainty we face as individuals and collectively.

Dad might have been one to note that, in about 5 billion years when the Sun turns into a red giant, Earth will experience a terminal crisis: a ‘global torching’ that will eradicate any remaining vestige of our place in the cosmos (I’m doubtful that humans will colonize another cosmic address). Meanwhile, we’re stuck with the reality of our fleeting, yet resplendent, existence and all its concomitant crises. Now, back to work!

Raymondo My Husband (from the Celebration of Life, Cranbrook, May 21, 2022)

May 26, 2022

Raymond wanted this gathering and I am so glad that you all came.

The first day I laid eyes on Raymond Demarchi was in 1971 on a snowy February day up the East Fork of the St Mary’s. I was standing at a trapper’s cabin. Ray popped out of a helicopter and blurted, “Hi I’m your friendly wildlife biologist!” And that he was, as many of you know well because he was in charge of Wildlife in the Kootenay Region from 1964 until 1992.

Twenty-seven years later we were married enjoying a total of 30 years together. Up close, Raymondo, as I called him, was an outstanding partner loving, supportive and gentle, and a genuinely interesting character, engaging, funny, generous, strong and willing to vigorously debate everything under the sun. He was a handful too, stopping to help every homeless person he ever encountered, giving advice to all and sundry (whether they wanted it or not) and relentlessly making situations funny and time-consuming. For the first 25 years I don’t think I heard the same story twice as he was an indefatigable raconteur.

Raymond’s fixation on the needs of wildlife was honed from a passion for hunting and fishing with family around Kamloops, while my love of wild lands grew from the fact that my parents, Margaret and Chet, university professors from Alabama (and I was grateful Raymond knew and respected them). Well, they happily packed a tent and drove my sister Chris and I to as many parks and forests in North America that they could each summer. Our shared passion for wildlife and wild places was the bond that inextricably tied Raymond and I together with mutual respect and admiration.

In 1992 I encouraged Raymond to move to Victoria to help double the parks in the province and he, in turn, encouraged me to pursue my academic dreams at UVIC. After he retired as Chief of Wildlife Conservation, we moved to the Cowichan Estuary, home of the Cowichan Peoples, where we worked together on wildlife contracts and eventually volunteering for the protection of Cowichan Estuary. Every year, however, we returned to the East Kootenay, home of the Ktunaxa and eventually built a home here.

Raymond’s greatest pride was his sons: Michael and Donald, extraordinary men together with their extraordinary wives, Catherine and Lisa, and our amazing grandchildren, Emma, Devan, Alex and Will. Ray always advised young parents that you are raising your best friends because he felt he had done just that.

I wanted to publicly Thank Ray, Ray’s sons and their families, his brothers, Leonard, his children here today, Julie and David (his wife Nicole and children Ella and Austin) and, brother Dennis’s daughter Diana, also Marilyn and Gerry Oliver, the Beaulacs, Barry and his son John and his wife Shauna, and the Aulenbacks for the beautiful family we share. Thank you for the many Family meals, (It helps that they are all wonderful cooks). Thank you and for the amazing times spent together on the Salish Sea fishing, crabbing and for the times hunting and hiking on the prairies, hills and mountains of BC and Alberta.

Now, today, my sincere kudos to all of you here for the trails you have walked, stories you tell and the love of wild places that you share with us. That love will never die.

I hope to see many of you over the summer and we can swap more stories of my dear Raymondo and the land he loved.

Tribute to My Father

May 24, 2022

The following speech was delivered at Raymond’s Celebration of Life in Cranbrook on 21 May 2022 by his eldest son, Michael. This printed version of the speech contains a few extra passages that were omitted from the original speech in the interest of time.

Thank you, Nancy, my wonderful aunt-in-law, for MCing this event here today.

* * *
“He was a quiet man, who kept mostly to himself” are words… used by no one… ever, to describe my father.

Pa, Ray, Raymond, Raymondo, Grandpa Nonno, Pappa Nonno, Demo, the Old Guy, Chief, Amigo, Dad. The man went by many names; and to each of us he meant something very different. Something special, unique, and memorable.

Dad was an extrovert to the full. He lived for the energizing charge of human contact. There wasn’t a stranger with whom he couldn’t (or wouldn’t) strike-up a conversation. And yes, he would listen to your story, but he was ever-keen to share one of his or proffer some advice – most of it good even if he was at times more of a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ kinda guy.

Though I view myself as a work-in-progress well into my 6th decade of life, Dad’s guidance has made me a better man, husband, and father. So, while my good friend Al Block has always been amazed that I turned out the way I did given all the freedom I had growing up, I know that I turned out the way I did because of my Dad, not in spite of him!

* * *

Though there were a few folks that drew his ire, by comparison, the list of people he called friends was a vastly longer one. And through him, I got to meet some real characters over the years: Pete Lum and his 50+ dogs roaming free in the bush; Ed Langlands the trapper and occasional bender-of-the-rules; Jack Cutts, Gordon Earl, and Hank Campsall the rugged cowboys; mountain-man Art Twomey; Keith and Arlene Smith the artists and lovers of life who were as close as family. And many who are still with us today, including Mel Bildfell who built two houses for us on the same foundation [the first one burned down in an accidental fire before we had moved in].

* * *

My father was larger than life and he attracted similar personalities with all the magnetism of the Hadron Collider. Whenever he got together with his Fish and Wildlife Branch colleagues it was like being witness to a hurricane – frenetic energy and loud noises punctuated with every expletive known to the English and Italian languages.

It was a real eye-opener for a child to bear witness to such passionate and animated devotion to wildlife conservation. I’ve gone on to pursue my own career in wildlife ecology. Maybe they influenced me in a good way, maybe I had no choice, maybe both! I do know that my dear mother, Marilyn, put up with more than her fair share of vivacity. Bless her soul! Her life quieted down some after she married Gerry Oliver, my step father.

Mom always said fisheries biologists were a calmer lot by comparison.

I know Dad took comfort in the fact that the mother of his children was in good hands.

And speaking of wild and crazy guys [some folks think Gerry looks like Steve Martin], Ken Sumanik was another fellow that added much to the spice of my youth. I remember my Dad being kinda leery about taking us to Disneyland as kids—the whole Bambi thing and the artificiality of it all just didn’t sit right with him. “Amigo!,” Ken said, “Just walk in there like you own the damned place!”

Well, I can confirm he did just that. In fact, he went into most places like he was a majority owner – seemingly nothing was off-limits to the man (I can’t say that everyone saw it his way, but in those few sticky situations, he was usually able to get by on his charm).

As for getting by on charm, however, the blue ribbons go to his younger brother, my Zio Leonard and my son, Devan. The two of those guys are really smooth operators.

And when the three generations of the Demarchi clan – the nonnos, zios, fathers, mothers, cousins, sons & daughters – took to the hills fully clad in Mossy Oak cammo every autumn; good times were in store!

* * *

Dad was always looking out for his sons. You could say he was part father, part coach, part friend, and part agent. For instance…

Maybe you didn’t know that my marriage to my beautiful wife, Catherine, was partly the result of a strategic plan drafted by my father and her aunt, Nancy some 33 years ago in a Victoria-Kootenay Region collaboration that was ahead of its time (we didn’t get married until some 9 years later). I’m not sure if he played a part in Don and Lisa’s marriage, but there is a photo in the record suggesting he did.

* * *

At his home on Cowichan Bay, he took a fellow named Marvin Johnny under his wing. Marvin was a member of Cowichan Tribes. He had four children and they all shared a bond with Dad. Marvin lived a very hard life. His time at Residential School left the scars and ongoing wounds of social trauma that is a tragic legacy of our nation’s history. Yet despite this, Marvin was upbeat and always quick to crack a joke. Dad and Harper (but mostly Dad) let Marvin use their dock for his many boats over the years. Marvin would show his appreciation by sharing some of his catch of prime crab, spot prawns, and the best clams I’ve ever eaten by far.

I’m pretty sure that Dad gave Marvin way more money for boat gas and repairs than he ever got in seafood, but for Dad to know that he was helping Marvin and his kids made it all worthwhile. Still, at one point it was getting to be a bit much with Marvin and his buddies coming and going all the time. So Dad said to Marvin that their little arrangement might need to take a bit of a break. To which Marvin replied, “No more seafood, eh, Ray?!”

The adventures of Marvin and Ray spanned many years and Dad always talked about writing a book called ‘Marvin and His Boat’ as some of the tales would make for a great read. Sadly, Marvin died last fall not long after Dad. No more seafood.

* * *

He was a wise man who knew value: the value of time shared, the value of a good meal, a good story, a shot of tequila with friends, the value of the words “please… and thank-you”, the value of friends & family, and the value of a life-partner. Harper, as difficult as it was to live with the man at times, I’m sure, I am hard-pressed to think of another couple that was more compatible. He was truly a fortunate man to have shared so many years of his life with you.

* * *

Insofar as it concerns my role as a big brother, safe to say, I failed a few inspections. But all was not lost. The bond I share with my brother, Don, was nurtured from an early age.

Back in 1973 just down the hill from here, I went across the street to play with some friends. Don followed me over and wanted to join-in. I told him to go home; he wasn’t invited. A few minutes later, the phone rang. My friend said “It’s your dad, and he sounds really mad!” Dad summoned me home where I got an energized, old-school Italian-style lesson in the difference between friendship and blood.

With two brothers of his own – my Zio Dennis and Zio Leonard – with whom he shared close bonds, he was speaking from experience. I don’t think I ever got the two of those things mixed-up after that. It’s a lesson I’ve preached to my own kids over the years – albeit in a slightly toned-down way.

And I’m happy to say, my efforts have paid off. My daughter Emma and son Devan have formed a bond that puts smiles on the faces of their parents and I know Dad was so proud of all four of his grandchildren: Emma, Alexandra, Devan and William.

* * *

I imagine most of you have been to Cabelas or other supersized outfitting shops – maybe you’ve even been to my father-in-law Gordon Aulenback’s 5-Star Yamaha dealership in Port Coquitlam. The assortment and array of hunting, fishing, camping, and other outdoor accoutrements defies description. Seemingly everything to make any outdoor adventure comfortable and memorable. Yet, there is one thing that those stores do not sell. Not in-store, not online, nowhere. Time.

Taking time to use of all the goods – the shotguns, outboard motors, camping gear, the marshmallow roasting sticks – that’s on us. And my father did just that.
Looking back through the slides he took of our many trips and recalling my own memories of times he spent with my brother and me, I am humbled by his commitment to his sons. And he didn’t take the easy way out, no! In the early days, he cut no corners. We packed horses and hunted elk in the mountains, built treestands in the aspens of the Kootenay River-bottom, hunted fallow deer on Sidney Island (thank-you Peter Pearse), we scuba dived and gathered abalone off the West Coast of Vancouver Island (thank-you Al and Sheila Chambers), we hunted ducks in the Columbia Wetlands and on the Prairies. Granted, some of our hunts in the later years were cushier (thank-you 3 Bars Guest Ranch and Simon and Wendy Jones), but that was just fine by me!

One of the last bits of wisdom he offered us was, just as Don and my families were departing after a day’s visit, “Every day counts; every day matters”. Kinda obvious when you think about it; but truth, like beauty, can be like that—hidden at first, but then so clearly seen once your eyes are truly opened to it.

* * *

Dad and I fished salmon every summer. Our last trip was a week before he was diagnosed with the brain tumor that would prove fatal a year later. We were trolling near the international shipping lane of Juan de Fuca Strait in patches of fog. He ran the boat, I ran the gear. I told him to follow the compass bearing, but as I watched the fishing lines out the back of the boat and inspected the trackline on the chartplotter, I could see there was room for improvement. Though I was tempted in my usual way to give him a poke for this, I resisted and remained composed; after all, I was out on the calm waters of the Salish Sea with my 80-year-old father and we were catching cohos just like we’d done so many years before. Nothing else mattered. He taught me to appreciate that.

And while I couldn’t know that it was to be our final trip, when it comes to spending time with friends and family, I’ve always tried to live as though any time together could be the last. Not in a reckless way, but in a way that makes an extra effort to appreciate the precious, fleeting moments we share.

Our time on Earth is short; spend it well; savor it. After all, at some point, everything we do will be for a final time. In his life and death, he taught me to appreciate that too.

* * *

I thank you all for gathering here today to celebrate the storied life of Raymond Alexander Demarchi.

My father lived a rich life and you added so much to it. And while I know he, like the rest of us, wasn’t without his faults and frailties, his self-penned epitaph says it best: He cared and he gave a damn. And we’re all the richer for it.

Saluto Pappa Nonno!

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