Raymond Milton Mushaney

Born January 5th 1939 to George and Bea Mushaney, Raymond Milton Mushaney would hold the Texas state record for bodyweight of a live born child. To add to its significance was the fact Bea was a tiny woman. Dad and his family lived in Texas before moving to Arizona to work a huge plantation. He had to quit school in the 7th grade to help support his family of 4 sisters and one brother. He lived in Arizona until he joined the United States Marine Corp in 1956 and would stay until 1962 serving in Vietnam from 59 to 62. After he got out he didn't shave or cut his hair for three years and during that time he became Waylon Jennings bus driver and body guard. Those stories are incredible but since his grandkids are going to read this I'll save them. Some time later he got a job in Reno as a "dancer", some call it "gogo" but the rest of the world says stripper. This had a lot to do with how he met my mother and they had their first date on 04-04-1970. Each one brought a child into the relationship from a former relationship but after several years of trying they had me on 04-04-1973. Shortly after that dad would move his young family to Oregon. My sister Tami would be born 04-11-1974. Dad worked a few places but due to a back injury sustained years earlier that required a spine fusion he would have to work jobs he didn't enjoy. He went to chemeketa community college and earned an associate degree and became a machinist. Dad loved to create and build things until that job would prove to hard on his back. He got a job at the American Legion and worked it for several years making life long friends (most of which he'd outlive). Then one day he got what he called his favorite job, a maintenance man for a property management company. They paid him to do his favorite thing...fix stuff. Unfortunately this was cut short by an injury of rotator cuff tears in both shoulders. During the repair it was discovered that he had a degenerative arthritis in his neck, shoulders and spine. Soon there after he was medically retired then told he'd be wheelchair bound in 5 years, dead in 10. That was 25 years ago. He had some chest pains that would keep him up at night and after a while he finally went to the Dr. They hooked him up and told him to let them know when he felt and episode coming. He said he was due any moment then the machines went crazy and the doctors went white. "Ray that's a heart attack" dad replied "they hurt like a bitch" then they wanted to know how often he was having them. He said "every 15 minutes" when they asked how long his answer blew them away. He told them "3 weeks and my wife makes me sleep on the couch because I wake her up when they happen at night".
This marked the beginning of many great related issues. Angioplasty every 3 years until the third time they could no longer get the balloon in his arteries then he got 9 of them bypassed in February of 2001. Once again he was warned that these only last "about ten years or so". Well he got 15 years of of them.

My dad loved his grandchildren and we believe that's what's kept him alive this long when doctors couldn't explain how he could survive all that he's been through. My youngest son is a carbon copy of him and I know that every time McGregor does something we would expect to see from dad we will always think of him. My dad touched many lives and now he's home with his parents, two of his sisters, my mom's parents whom he adored, her brothers, his nephews and friends. We're going to miss you dad.