Raymond G. Immell, 71 passed away peacefully on November 5, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona, after a short battle with heart disease. His family was by his side.
He was born to Roy and Helen Immell in Davenport, Iowa on June 24, 1949. The family moved to Pratt Kansas when Ray was three years old. In the 5th grade Ray met Sylvia Frazier at Haskins Elementary School. Sylvia would go on to become the love of his life. During his Junior and High school years he worked on his future Father-in-laws Frazier family farm. Ray loved farming, and thought that would be his life long calling. In 1971, Ray and Sylvia were married, and they were lucky to have celebrated 49 years of marriage together.
He moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1969 to attend Arizona State University. Ray earned his Bachelor and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, graduating in 1971. He launched his career at Motorola working in the Antenna Division for 20+ years. In 1992, he joined Denmar Technical Services, where he served as Denmar’s President for the last 8 years. While at Denmar, Ray worked on some of the nation’s most important defense programs. Ray was a recognized expert in stealth technology and developed systems to ensure that stealth aircraft were functioning as designed. The Secretary of the Air Force praised his work and expertise.
Ray led a very happy, active life filled with family and many friends. His immense generosity was not only extended to his inner circle– but to complete strangers. He was known as the “answer and fix-it man.” If Ray didn’t know how to do something or didn’t know the answer, he would find it — and fast. He wore many hats, but somehow… the cooking and cleaning hats never seemed to fit!
Ray was a man driven by hard work and common sense.
Growing up in farm country, he believed that all problems could be solved with some fence wire and a screwdriver. He encouraged his children and employees to use their imaginations and he emphasized simple approaches to handle challenges. He never asked anyone to do something that he would not do himself. He gave guidance and direction, and then got out of the way. He was a wonderful husband, father, brother, friend, boss and mentor–loved and respected by all.
His legacy will be continued through his loving wife Sylvia, children Ashley Cardwell, Eric Immell and their spouses, five beloved grandchildren: Gage and Avery Bergeron, Wyatt, Charlotte and Clementine Immell and sister Margaret McDowell. His parents, Roy and Helen Immell, preceded him in death.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Heart Association or the NRA (his favorite cause) are suggested.
Thinking of you at this difficult time. Many of your travel stories with Maggie and Bill have shown us your love of fun and joy.
You we’re such a great man and such a great friend!! We will miss your friendship and the visit!! Sending love and prayers to all!!💕
We leave this life with memories for others to remember. Mine include playing with Ray in the barn, climbing the windmill and chasing chickens (which Grandma did not appreciate).. His mom would invite our family over and Ray had the biggest collection of comic books! Good memories. To Sylvia and their children remember that much can be done with a screwdriver and a good length of bailing wire. May the Lord watch over you and give comfort to you.
Jim and I were so sorry to hear about Ray’s passing. We’ve been thinking about him the last few days and recalling many of the fun times we spent together as we both built our houses and families! They were very special moments in time. Ray will be greatly missed.
What a legacy this man leaves! I will be thinking of your sweet family.
I always will remember; always with a big smile our long conversations I had the honor to be his butler I he treated me
As a friend the staff love him because his kindness and generosity and always relax; Don Ramón we will always remember you and we send you our gratitude to the heaven
Muchas gracias
Alicia and I send our deepest condolences to the Immell family. We are saddened by Ray’s loss and provide you all with our prayers and God’s blessings.
Rod and Alicia
So sorry Sylvia to hear about Ray. I plan on calling you in a couple of days. Hope you r doing ok and also the rest of the family. Prayers to you all
This is such a tough loss for all of Ray’s friends. And my heart goes out to you Sylvia and your children. Ray was always the Leader of the Pack. Your lifelong love affair was beautiful. He will be missed and not forgotten. Pratt High class of 67 lost a good man.
Love you all. Ray was one of a kind, and as good as gold!
We already miss him and our deepest condolences to the entire Immell families.
My deepest sympathy to you in Ray’s passing. May God provide you the peace and comfort you so richly deserve. May wonderful memories and the promises of God sustain you. I mourn with you.
Ray, you will be missed. Your stories of both your home life and work were very entertaining. You left a huge void in both our personal and professional lives that will be hard to replace. I’ll never wear another Hawiian shirt without thinking of you.
We are so saddened to not have Ray on this earth to make us laugh but know he’s making God smile. Our love and prayers to all his loved ones.
Like many, I considered Ray a friend. We shared a common love of family and called each other “Grandpa”. Ray was a great man. He knew how to guide you without being demanding, but wanted to get your best by allowing you to find your ingenuity. His steady hand, common sense and most importantly, his friendship will be truly missed.
Never will I forget the connection between the Immells and the Barr families. Lots of laughter and discussions on the best way to tackle a farm challenge. Afternoon Michelob on the back porch and other fly-bys to check in.
Congratulations on the memorable years you shared together and the blessing of your kids and grandkids.
My heart and thoughts are with you all.
America has lost a true HERO!!!
May he Rest In Peace! I’ll miss you Ray!!
Every time I saw Ray he had a smile and a hand shake for me. He always asked how I was and this was before he hired me. One day he just came up to me and said (Kevin I want you to come work for me, I have the perfect job for you). I will always be great full for the opportunity Ray gave me . I have never worked for a company where the CEO handed you his card and said call anytime but that was Ray and he meant it. All of the Immell Family has been add to my families Bed time Prayers. God bless you all and thank you for sharing Ray with us.
I am deeply saddened by the loss of your Ray. He will be truly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Ray was a true hero and contributed so much to this great country
I’m glad I had the honor to work with such a great man.
America has lost one hell of a man
May you Rest In Peace Ray
Thoughts are with your family during this very difficult time
Ray was a friend and colleague. A rare combination of integrity and competence. It’s an honor to have known him and worked with him. He will be missed.
Ray was one of the first non ASU guys that I met when I was doing some consulting work for the Motorola Government Electronics Group (GEG), Scottsdale, AZ, where Ray was working. He was a personable and genuine person; what you got is what you saw; qualities of a person from the Midwest; Iowa (born), Kansas (before moving to AZ). He was personable and lot of fun to be around. Never saw him mad.
It turns out that both of our families lived in East Mesa. Ray had many attributes which he used to help others. For us, Ray provided invaluable advice when we were building our house in 1984, after we moved to AZ in 1983.
We were very saddened when we learned of his passing; hard to think a world without Ray. We will miss him very much.
Our condolences to the family. May His Memory Be Eternal. Rest In Peace Ray.
Constantine and Helen Balanis
Our condolences to the Immell family. Ray is a great American, friend & colleague. Ray was an array of sunshine if you thought you had a bad day, Ray inspired and was a mentored to those he met, young or seasoned you could always count on Ray to have encouraging words to help you excel to the next level. He will be forever missed, but not forgotten! God Bless you Ray! God Bless the Immell family. Jeff & Gayle
When I first met Ray, I sensed a gentle and welcoming soul. As I got to know him better, my instincts were correct. I also learned he was very intelligent and had contributed to many projects that made us a better Nation. He had a way of sharing his experiences where you didn’t know you were getting guidance of how to be a better person, a better problem solver and how to enjoy life. His “wearing jeans to the boardroom” approach to life was infectious yet respected. He left an indelible mark on my life and I wish to express my condolences to the Immell family.
I first met Ray at Motorola in 1980. He was a great mentor and just a super guy with whom to work. Having Ray working on a program was a boon to both performance and morale. Things just went better with Ray around. He was the kind of person you just don’t forget. Carol and I got to know Ray, Sylvia and little (at that time) Ashley and Eric away from work and were blessed to know such a wonderful family. What great folks! The world is a better place for your presence and will miss you Ray!
My first memory of Ray was while I was still Active Duty. He was zamboniing a hangar that his aircraft had just left. I asked him why the president of the company was doing this, he replied with “It’s all they’ll let me do!” In all honesty, he was just doing what needed to be done and trying to set a good example for his people… That is a lesson I carried with me until I retired from the AF. Set the example and others will try to emulate. I wish I got to know him better. Our prayers go out to the Immell family. May they ease your suffering through this loss…
I worked with Ray at Denmar Technical Service for 25 years, he was a very kind leader, always a smile for everyone. My thoughts and prayers go out for Sylvia and family. Ray was so proud of his family,
My deepest condolences to you Sylvia, Ashley and Paul. My prayers go out to all of you. Ray was an extremely smart man. He always spoke about how deeply he cared for all of you and his son and grandchildren too.
Bonnie and I send our condolences to the Immell family. Ray was a great man and a better boss. He also push us to be better and always lead by example. He will be deeply missed.
I will miss Ray. My time with him was limited, due to working out of the Ohio office, but the time I was afforded with him is significant. He was a gracious man, that was not only wise leader, but man that could fill a room with life. It has been my pleasure to know him. My prayers are with you and your family, God Bless you and grant you peace in this time of loss.
My Mother, Brother and I would like to thank everyone for your heartfelt words of sympathy and condolence.
If Dad could have stayed with us, for as long as we had hoped and dreamed, this would have been my personal message to him….
Dad,
You taught me unbelievable work ethic, and to always do everything to the best of my ability. You made me believe that I could do, and be anything that I wanted. All experiences come from bad experiences, and something wasn’t worth doing, unless I did it to the best of my ability.
I gained an understanding of the importance to say, “I’m finished,” instead of “I’m done.” You couldn’t hear me mumble, so I learned to slow down and speak clearly. I learned that you shouldn’t have to tell me something more than once. Nobody else is going to do it for me, so I had better learn to do it myself. I respect the concept of spending money, to make money. I realized that I didn’t appreciate expensive Tequila and Bourbon. Following “The Golden Rule” was always helpful. Yes… I was aware… that you were usually always right.
You taught me, when I look to the stars, I might see a satellite fly by, or hear you tell me the name of a new planet. I’m so sorry we couldn’t have spent more time looking at the stars together Dad. Now, when I look toward the daylight sky or the nighttime stars…I see you. I admire your strength, courage and fight. The greatest lesson that I have learned is that of loss…losing you has been the hardest lesson of them all. You will forever live on in everything that I do. You literally knew it all, and could do it all…My heart will infinitely be heavy, but I know you are right beside Mom, Eric and I, for rest of this crazy ride.
We will take care of Mom always. I am eternally grateful to be you daughter.
Love you always and forever,
Ashley
Just heard the sad sad news on Ray’s passing. Heart felt condolences to the entire Immell family. Ray was such a great man, a patriot, and an inspiration. I was very fortunate to have met Ray thru work and spent time getting to know him and so many others of the Denmar family. You will be greatly missed. I thank you Ray for having the trust and confidence in out team to work with you, and will NEVER forget the opportunities that you provided. Your stories always had my full attention, and I would never get tired of hearing the next one. Until we meet again some day, job well done sir. God bless. DPW
Hi Immell Family,
I just learned of Ray’s death. I am so sad. Ray was a man of integrity and a dear friend to my father. I babysat Ashley and Eric a few times when they were young. I enjoyed my time with you. Yours was truly a home of peace and love. You are a beautiful family. Blessings to you.
I came across this memorial by accident and when I saw the name I was shocked to learn the one and only Ray Immell I had known has passed. I highly respected Ray, his amazing wife and beautiful family. They once took me in as their own. I am grateful to have known him, shared a few good laughs and times with him. It is clear Ray left this world and his family much too soon and for that I am sorry. Godspeed…and all my best to you, your mom and brother, Ash.
Is it ever too late to send a condolence? It has been one year since we received the shocking news that Ray had passed. We sent our love and support to Sylvia, Ashley and Eric and their families a year ago, and we send it today, as well. We know you are all still hurting; your pain is still fresh and raw. That is because Ray was one heck of an outstanding husband, father and grandfather. His departure from this Earth left a void never to be replaced. But the void can be somewhat filled with the loving, keepsake memories you all have of him. Use those memories to patch your broken hearts and move on with your lives the way Ray would counsel and coach and want you to move forward. Honor him with your strength and endurance that he nurtured in you to be the strong, beautiful people that you are today and even more so tomorrow. We are thinking of you this sad day and send you our love and virtual hugs.