Ray William Wienholt's Obituary
Ray William Wienholt of San Bernardino, CA died of congestive heart failure at his home on August 19, 2006 at the age of 88. He was born on January 28, 1918 in Ellsworth, KS, raised and attended schools there, and graduated from Ellsworth High School in 1936. In 1935 he served in the Civilian Conservation Corp in Minneapolis, MN. In Ellsworth he worked as a billboard painter and was a member of the Young Democratic Club. Ray was employed as a clerk, a deputy county treasurer, and also served an unexpired term as Ellsworth County Treasurer at the young age of 23. In 1941 he married Lois Stuive of Sylvan Grove, KS. Ray and Lois moved to San Diego, CA in 1942 where Ray worked at Consolidated Aircraft Co. building the PB2Y-2 Patrol Bomber (Flying Boat) during World War II. After the war he worked briefly for San Diego Transit Co. operating a street car. In 1945 Ray, Lois and daughter Miriam moved to San Bernardino where he began working as a carman for Santa Fe Railroad for a brief time. He then hired in as a carman at Pacific Fruit Express Co. in Colton, CA. In 1946 Ray and Lois became members of Trinity Lutheran Church in San Bernardino. At Trinity, Ray sang in the church choir for many years, served as Financial Secretary, served on the Finance Board, the Board of Education and the Board of Trustees. In his retirement he sang for 4 1/2 years with the Prime Time Choraliers. Ray and Lois enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and to many foreign countries. Ray was a kind, quiet, gentle man who was well-respected for his integrity and well-liked by his friends and neighbors. His home was his castle and work was his hobby. He was a craftsman, and he especially enjoyed designing and inventing ways to repair things. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather who will be deeply missed by his family.Ray is survived by his wife, Lois; daughters, Miriam Holdaway of San Bernardino and Vivian Hernandez of Riverside; sister, Esther Buckner of Sedona, AZ; sons-in-law, Phillip Holdaway and Manuel Hernandez; grandchildren, Aaron Holdaway, James Hernandez, Briana Hernandez and Craig Hernandez; great grandchildren, Kai Holdaway, Keale Holdaway, and Nicole Davis. He was preceded in death by his son, Nolan Ray Wienholt. Viewing will be from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on August 25 at Bobbitt Memorial Chapel, 1299 E. Highland Ave., San Bernardino. Funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on August 26, 2006 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 2900 N. “E” St., San Bernardino.
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