Raymond “Ray” J. Wenzlaff
Raymond “Ray” John Wenzlaff, 72, of Arcadia, passed away peacefully, after a courageous battle with cancer, January 21, 2024, surrounded by his loved ones.
Raymond was born December 6, 1951, in Chicago, IL, to Robert and Mary Wenzlaff. While visiting his family farm in 1971, Ray met Sharon Daffinson at age 19, which inspired him to move to Arcadia to live. They were married August 18, 1973, at St. Mary’s in Galesville. They had five children together of whom he was very proud.
Ray became a big part of the Daffinson family. He started building houses with his brothers-in-law, David Halvorson and Terry Daffinson. He loved what he did and he continued his calling as a carpenter until retirement. Ray also loved meeting up with his friends from Illinois and reliving shenanigans they pulled as teenagers. Stories of their pranks never got old, and were retold often.
Ray was known for his great sense of humor and his constant readiness with a sarcastic response. He was always there to help family and relatives with odd jobs and projects. He had a big heart and was rarely seen without a baby in his arms whenever he was around his kids and grandkids. Ray enjoyed listening to music from his era, and quizzed his kids on the song names and bands as they grew up. His greatest loves included spending time with his children and grandchildren at sporting events and putting them up to mischief. Ray was often busy tinkering with everything from cars to building projects and anything that could be disassembled. He was a jack-of-all-trades, very independent and had an unmatched love for muscle cars. He truly loved the summer weekends that inevitably evolved into family barbeques. Ray became the life of the party anywhere he went, and was known to serve his famous bloody marys to family who stopped in. He was his wife’s, children’s, and grandchildren’s greatest protector and cheerleader.
Ray is survived by his wife, Sharon; his five children: Jason, Travis (Kris), Derek, Miranda (Tim) Boville, and Nicholas (Ashley); his 10 grandchildren: Taylor (Austin) Lema, Trey, Sidney, Madison (Colby) Hervol, Riley Gunderson, Talon, Griffin, Teagan, Winter and Wyatt; and siblings: Randall, Robert, Ross, Kristine, Karen, and Sara.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Mary Wenzlaff; sister, Mary Jo; and brother, Roger.
Ray’s family would like to extend a special thank you to his oncologist, Dr. Svetomir Markovic, for his tireless efforts in helping Ray overcome numerous cancer recurrences and giving him 10 additional years on this earth. A special thank you also goes out to his caring and dedicated hospice team, neighbors, friends, and family members who came to visit during the past year of hospital stays and his final weeks at home.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Coulee Region Cremation Group is assisting the family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Mayo Clinic in Rochester towards future cancer research: https://philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donatemc.
