Obituary of Raymond Mathias Sombach

Please click here to view the livestream of the service

Raymond, our husband, father, grandfather and friend, was born and raised in Regina and attended St. Augustine Elementary School and Bosco High School. He passed away with his wife and children at his side, very peacefully on Friday evening, August 28, 2020. There were plenty of special moments over the last few months where we all reflected, remembered and cherished the wonderful times we had as a family. The journey through his life, and all those that knew him, understood he was a very intelligent and driven person. He embarked on expeditions none of us would have dared, yet, as his children, we were inspired to move out of our comfort zone to achieve great things.

He always put family first. Ray was a man who made you think, sometimes in frustration, but most times to make you smarter once you overcame the challenge put before you. Some of these quests put before us was dragging us to places unknown, with no plan, so he can enrich us with the sense of adventure. Some of those quests were hiking in Cypress Hills, driving to see the battle sites of the Northwest Rebellion, taking us to the Globe Theatre, the Regina Symphony, the Art Gallery, and most often, the Regina Library.

A very notable and memorable occasion that made us think about a life path was simply a family discussion to buy a color TV in 1974 or buy ski equipment. We chose ski equipment. As a result, we enjoyed a lot of family time together travelling to the through the valleys of Saskatchewan to Rocky Mountains of Alberta. We all, as parents, try to replicate those experiences with our children today. It should be mentioned that we watched the 1976 Grey Cup on a small black and white TV.

Raymond and two other firefighters decided to build houses which took our family on more adventures. We learned construction, interior design, landscaping, and moving. As a family we still found time to be at the cottage on Echo Lake, fishing trips, family gatherings, friend gatherings with grandparents, uncles and aunts from all over the world. Each home was designed to accommodate those gatherings and launch us to new adventures.

This sense of adventure was evident in Raymond at a young age. He was a character as a child. It is said that he had a lot of the personality of his mother, Mary Sombach. Always moving and never stopping. The sense of adventure had Dad accepted into the Royal Canadian Navy in an officer cadet training academy in Victoria BC. At the age of 16. This experience allowed him to travel the South Pacific in 1956-1957. We don’t know all the details of those expeditions, but one of those adventures that lives in all of us is football. He played for that navy team and won the BC Junior Football Championship. He never completed his officer training because he didn’t want to settle on being on a ship, he wanted to be a Naval Aviator. It is here where is color blindness caught up to him. He returned home to Bosco High School to finish his Grade 12 and pursue his other dream, our mother, Emma Wappel.

He joined the Regina Fire Department in 1962 and had a 33 Year career achieving the rank of Senior Captain. There is no question that this career path offered him many dangerous, yet rewarding quests and adventures saving lives. He was one of the founders of the Regina Firefighters Social Club, he played a part with the Firefighters Union, and spent a year as Training Captain. During this time, he was not only raising a family, he chose to get a Bachelor of Arts Degree, with Honors, majoring in Sociology, from the University of Saskatchewan. He did have an opportunity to become an Assistant Professor but declined the offer. He was an avid reader and knew everything about everything, which prepared him for a debate on anything and everything.

His interest in literature, history, art, music inspired the desire to become a published author. He was always writing manuscripts trying to find that one opportunity. In 1980, he found it. He became a columnist with various newspapers in the country to discuss and educate Canadians on Pension Reform. He has a couple of novels that were published and available on Amazon today. He wrote Party Mysteries for an online sight that can be downloaded today.

In his retirement, all his energy went into his family. With the home and cottage as a base, he was able to enjoy seeing his children and their spouses grow their families. He really enjoyed time with all his grandchildren and took a keen interest in their academics, athletics and activities that would ultimately shape their lives and their families. Summers at B-Say-Tah were very special to him as he couldn’t wait to string all the racing ribbons together and display them in the cottage. Any time were got together as a family there were cards to play, crafts and puzzles to complete and conversations and debates to have, and Mass to attend.

Raymond will be missed but is cherished in our hearts and minds as we move forward with our journey in life. We will celebrate his memory every day. One of Raymond’s famous sayings he bellowed over the years is “I haven’t begun to live”. Now, Ray is living a life we can only all imagine with Faith.

Ray was predeceased by his parents Peter and Mary Sombach; and brothers Ernie and Frank.  Ray is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Emma; son Steve (Heather), Regina; daughter Sandra (Mike), Calgary; son Mark (Lisa), Calgary; nine grandchildren, Sydney and Jake; Nicholas and Ryan; Matthew, Jackson, Carson, Rylar and Connor; and his one brother Joe of St. Albert, Alberta.

The Mass of the Resurrection for Raymond will be held at Resurrection Roman Catholic Parish, 3155 Windsor Park Road, Regina, SK, on Friday September 4, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. with Rev. Rick Krofchek as Celebrant. Interment to follow at Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery.

Due to Covid 19 restrictions, seating will be limited. If you wish to attend please contact Speers Funeral Chapel at 306-522-3232.  To view the livestream of the service please click on the link to Speers TV above on the day of the service.                    

Flowers are gratefully declined. Donations may be made in Ray’s memory to the Regina Firefighter’s Burn Fund, Box 1422, Regina, SK, S4P 3C2. Special thanks to Dr. DeWitt  for his care over the many years and all the nurses and doctors on units 5A and 5E at the Regina General Hospital for their care and kindness during Ray’s recent illness.