Raymond Fuller Alvey passed away on June 2, 2018 at the age of 93. His name may not be remembered in the history books or carved in memorial on a building or a plaque, but he was a great man who lived and embodied the virtues of integrity, honor and kindness until the very end. He was deeply loved by all who knew him and will be greatly missed. Ray was born in SLC, UT on May 30, 1925, to Albert Russell Alvey and Sylvia Isabella Fuller. On his 18th birthday in 1943, Ray enlisted in the United States Army Air Corp and flew all of the heavy bombers in WWII: B-17, B-24, B-25 and B-29. He married his sweetheart, Marjorie Lou Clark, on April 20, 1945 in the Salt lake Temple and together they raised seven children. They celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary this past April. Upon returning from the Air Corps, Ray graduated from the University of Utah in 1955 with a degree in Accounting and Business Administration. After graduating from the University of Utah, Ray joined the Civil Aeronautics Administration (later named the Federal Aviation Administration) as an air traffic controller. He worked as an air traffic controller for 28 years before retiring at the age of 58 — the first controller to reach the mandatory retirement age at the Salt Lake Control Center. Ray loved working with the airplanes, even though he wished he could still be flying them.
As a little boy, Ray always enjoyed riding with his grandfather on the horse drawn wagon to deliver vegetables to his grandfather's customers. If Ray was lucky, he would get an apple to eat along the way. Later on in life, Ray often reminisced about those good old days.
Ray's romance with Marge started at East High school and continued throughout their life. He lived on Kensington (1525 south), she on 3rd south. Every day after school he would walk her the 6 blocks home from school, and then turn around and walk 14 blocks back to his own home. This daily ritual would often make him late for his chores, much to the chagrin of his father. His father would often remark that if Ray wanted to walk a girl home, he should pick one who was going his direction but Ray paid him no mind, he only had eyes for Marge.
Ray turned 18 on May 30, 1943 and less than a week later, on June 5, he headed to Sheppard Field in Texas for basic training in the United States Air Force. From there it was on to classification in Santa Anna, California. After a series of endless written tests, he finally qualified for pilot training. Once accepted into the training program, he moved to Thunderbird Field in Arizona for primary flight training, Minter Field in California for basic flight training and finally onto La Junta Colorado for advance flight school. He graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force.
After graduation he remained at La Junta Field and began training in B25's. When this assignment was complete, he was sent to Kirtland Field in New Mexico to train in B24's, and then was assigned to Roswell Field in New Mexico for training in B29's. However, on the way to Roswell he stopped in Utah to marry his lifelong sweetheart, Marjorie Lou Clark. The wedding was a brief affair and there was not enough time for a honeymoon due to the B-29's that were waiting, but none of that seemed to matter at the time, they were together and that was enough.
Ray's final assignment was to deploy to the South Pacific. He and his buddy, Captain Breastrup, and their crews headed to Boeing Field in Washington and picked up two new B29's right out of the factory. After picking up the planes, they flew them to Travis Air Force Base in San Francisco. Upon arrival in San Francisco, the planes were quickly inspected and then it was time to go. Captain Breastrup taxied out to the runway with Ray right behind him. When cleared to take off, he headed down the runway and soared into the clouds. Ray and his crew were left waiting clearance to take off when the tower called and said, "Hold short of the runway." Perplexed, Ray and his crew waited for the all clear but then, a few minutes later they received another call —"The war is over, come on back in." Whether due to divine design, or a lucky twist of fate one thing was certain, Ray was forever grateful for being spared and for the chance to return home to his beloved Marge and build a life together.
Ray loved and appreciated family throughout his life, and cherished his roots and family in England. Time spent with his dad was always a joy and a pleasure. Together they would hunt, fish, and tell stories that delighted them both. When Ray had children of his own, those happy traditions continued. His mother held a special place in his heart and he was always attentive and loving to her. He also valued his relationship with his siblings; Barbara Jean, Mary Lee, Bill and Jim. Simply put, anyone who knew Ray would could always be sure of one thing, family came first.
Several years later, with the addition of a family boat, a new and cherished family tradition was born. Family adventures and cherished neighbors spent many happy hours having cherished adventures at Lake Tahoe, Flaming Gorge, Bear Lake, and their favorite, Lake Powell.
Ray and Marge also had a passion for travel and enjoyed many wonderful experiences traveling with their lifelong friends Carl and Deon Hulbert. Marge and Deon met in high school and have been close ever since. Ray and Carl were both pilots (Ray in the Army Air Corp, Carl in the Navy). When both couples were married, they all came together and enjoyed a lifelong friendship and many happy travels. Together they journeyed to Wimbledon, the Indy 500, Hawaii, Palm Springs, Sun Valley, and on and on and on — an amazing relationship, and marvelous friendship.
Ray is survived by his wife Marjorie; siblings Mary Lee Smith (Todd), Bill Alvey (Shelley), and Jim Alvey (Sheri); children Clark Alvey (Nan), Bert Alvey (Shelly), Marge Deeds (Bob), Rob Alvey (Jean), and David Alvey (Angela); 22 grandchildren; and 37 great grandchildren. Preceded in death by his parents, sister Barbara Jean Alvey, and children Francine Staker and John Alvey.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday June 9, 2018 at the Foothill LDS Chapel, 2215 E. Roosevelt Ave. SLC, UT. A viewing will be held Saturday morning from 10:30 ‚ 11:45 am at the church prior to services. Interment at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 S. Highland Drive, SLC, UT.
