Sunday, August 3, 2008

RIP- Ray Underhill

wow... did not expect to come across this this morning.... teagan and i have just been watching tons of old bones brigade videos, and my mom just gave me back a ton of my old skate boards, one of which is signed by ray.... huge part of my youth....


Aug 1, 2008- "Ray Underhill spent the past two years battling a Chordoma brain tumor. Despite the condition’s debilitating effects, Ray maintained the kindness and strength he was known for. He was an example to his family and to his friends of what it means to be a father, a husband, a friend. Throughout his ordeal, Ray never let his spirit succumb to the cruelty of his condition.

After surgery, and several radiation and chemotherapy treatments, Ray passed away on Friday morning, August 1, 2008, at a hospital near his home in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Ray will be remembered by some as the Powell-Peralta Bones Brigade pro of the late 1980s with the smooth style and deep bag of tricks. He will be remembered by others in the skateboard industry as the Gullwing Team Manager or Web Master at Eastern Skateboard Supply. To those of us who knew Ray, he’s remembered as the guy we wish we were. The one we wish everyone else would emulate—his candor, his kindness, his sense of humor an example to us all. If everyone in the world were just a little more like Ray, what an amazing, peaceful place this would be.

His wife Kerry, and their children Keaton (13) and Olivia (8) lost a husband and a father on Friday. And skateboarding lost a brother—one who made his mark on his board, but who went on to affect us all in far more profound ways for who he was off his skateboard. Quite simply, he was the best of us, and is tremendously missed.
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1 comment:

Isaiah said...

I also feel the pain as I was a close friend to his son Keaton. I am spending as much time as possible with Keaton to help him get his mind off of Ray. It's a horrible thing to lose a close family member or friend. I will always remember Ray and his family in my prayers. thanks, Sincerely Isaiah Framilla of Wilmington North Carolina.