Ray Chin, born in Toisan, China in 1938, died swiftly and peacefully at his home in Bayside, Wisconsin, on January 21, 2021. In the midst of the Chinese Revolution of 1949, a 10-year-old Ray boarded a small plane and traveled alone from China to California. He was detained for 30 days at an Angel Island detention center before his father, Walter Chin, was able to get him released. His father served in the US Navy and established his business in Chicago before sending for Ray in 1949. Ray spoke of the kindness of strangers he met in detention and along his journey as a child starting life in a new country. In 1999 Ray returned to China to see his sister Mei Yayun for the first time in 50 years, then in 2008 during his last trip to China, she took him to see the grave of their mother, who died when he was only 3 years old.
Despite having no knowledge of English before arrival to the US, Ray excelled in school, mastered the language and achieved straight A’s. Harvard University offered him a full scholarship, but he stayed close to home and accepted scholarships to Illinois Wesleyan University and University of Chicago for post-graduate studies in Fine Art. It was at that time when his lifelong friendship with Isabelle and Carl Berg began. They treated him like a son, and he enjoyed working as a chef at Isabelle’s, their elegant restaurant in Thornton, IL.
He met the love of his life, Catherine Wiggins Chin, in 1963, and they married within weeks of first meeting. They proved that love at first sight is a real thing, and were together for 39 years until Catherine’s death in 2003. Ray and Catherine shared a deep love of literature, music, and art. Ray would often quote Shakespeare from heart, sing love songs, and he painted his favorite muse Catherine countless times.
Though an art teacher for years, when his cousin Dennis sent him a personal computer in 1979, he became fascinated with the new technology. Entirely self-taught, he taught Computer Science at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, NE until retirement. On the side he was a portrait painter, wedding photographer, logo creator, and website designer. He volunteered his technical know-how for many years to the Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha, the same orchestra in which Catherine played oboe.
After Catherine’s retirement from teaching French and English Literature at Omaha’s Westside High School, she and Ray traveled to China, France, and all across the US to be with children and grandchildren, and to share adventures. After Catherine’s sudden and untimely death in 2003, Ray decided to retire, picking up the pieces of his life with the loving support of family and friends. He took up daily long walks, photographing birds and flowers along the way, and making friends wherever he went. A lifelong Cubs fan and sometime Red Sox fan, he always adored the game of baseball.
Ray found joy in the beauty of this world, and especially in spending time with his grandchildren. As a Grandpa he was in his element photographing his eight grandchildren. He also loved attending their various sporting and musical events. In 2017 he moved from Omaha to Bayside, WI to be closer to family.
With his characteristic determination and hard work, he made great strides in recovering from a stroke in 2019. During the bleakest days of 2020, his Assisted Living staff were delighted by his drawings and for his ability to make them laugh and lift their spirits. He was put to the test again when he contracted Covid-19 in late 2020. He was lucky and only had mild symptoms, and kept improving up until his death, which happened unexpectedly and quickly while he slept.
Ray will be remembered for his beautiful artwork, his jokes and sense of humor, and most of all for his gentle and kind nature. He will be deeply missed by his children and their spouses Cybele (Sam) Smart, Claire (Eric) Stillman, Joe (Janna) Chin, grandchildren Harlan, Benny, Eli, Jewell, Bethie, Mirabelle, Lulu and Phoebe, and his extended family of siblings, siblings-in-law, nieces, nephews and cousins.
In honor of his lifelong appreciation of the bench-in-nature genre, in lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center where a bench will be installed in his memory. Please use the following link, clicking the “In Memory of” button and indicating “In Memory of Ray Chin” if you donate online: https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/get-involved/donate/
A small private service will be held on Sunday, 1/31/21, at 3:30pm CST at Schmidt & Bartelt Funeral Home in Mequon (visitation will start at 2:30pm in-person and 3:00pm online). Livestream will be available through Zoom, please click on link below:
Ray Chin Zoom Service Link
