Raymond Scott Garner “Ray” of Minden, Nevada, passed away peacefully on January 31, 2023, after a short battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
Ray was born in Los Angeles, California August 15, 1940. He was the only son of Ray and Jonita Garner. He is preceded in death by his parents, and his wife Madeline Sue Garner “Mady”.
Ray met Mady when he was 16 and she was 14 at a church singing. They dated for a short time but Ray joined the Army right after graduating from high school. At only 17 he actually had to get permission from his parents to join the military. Madeline wrote him a Dear John letter in 1958 but they would meet up later in 1962 and never separated again. Ray and Madeline were married in September 1962. Ray served his country as a Green Beret, 101st Airborne and an officer in the Army Reserves for about a decade.
Ray enjoyed many sports. He lettered in track in high school, played baseball, loved tennis, skydiving, bike riding, and paint ball. He got the entire family playing tennis and played in many celebrity tennis tournaments. He was part of an aerial performance skydiving team and made thousands of skydives. He was most known for carrying the flag into Redlands University on the 4th of July for almost a decade. He was also the first person to jump into Dodger stadium.
In 1978 he moved the family to Montana and opened a seafood restaurant. Prior to that, Ray was a butcher, a private detective, and a salesman just to name a few of his many experiences. He also worked at Capital Records and JBL. He preferred being self-employed, owning many businesses to include owning several rental properties, a clothing store and was a jet ski race promoter. For the past 22 years, he owned and operated Carson Valley
Auctions and R Country Corner in Minden selling antiques and wagons, as well as doing estate sales for the County. You cannot drive thru the Carson Valley without seeing a
wagon Ray built.
Ray is survived by his three children, Holly Durae Spraker, Troy Scott Garner and Wendy Sue
Garner, his granddaughter Brittney Rae Marshall, and two great grandchildren, Christie Rae Marshall and Kennedy Kimber Marshall.
The family is planning a Celebration of Life on Saturday June 10, 2023 from 10am to 2pm at the family home located at 3180 Hwy 395 N in Minden.
The Garner family wishes to express our appreciation for the love, admiration and friendship
offered to our father.