Sherwin Raymond Kushnir
May 19, 1944 ~ January 24, 2009
Resided in:
Pueblo, CO
Sherwin Raymond 'Radio Ray' Kushnir, 64, passed away January 24, 2009. Survived by his daughter, Hilary Kushnir of Pueblo; sisters, Chari (Hubert) Morris of San Antonio, Texas and Lari (Amber Akeo) Kushnir of Pueblo; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins; and his best bud, Trinket, his 'RCA' Radio Dog. Preceded in death by his wife, Sheila Gail Kushnir on April 4, 2008. Ray was born to Melbourne and Hilda Kushnir, in Pueblo, on May 19, 1944. He was the owner of Kushnir Furniture and retired from Hewlett Packard as an electrical engineer after 30 plus years of service. He was currently the president of Historic Pueblo Business Center Association and was very active with the Union Avenue District. Ray was well known for working on and collecting classic radios. A private interment was held. Memorial service, 2 p.m. Monday, January 26, 2009, at United Hebrew Center, 106 W. 15th St. In lieu of food and flowers, memorials may be made to Union Avenue Merchants Association through Montgomery & Steward Funeral Directors, 1317 N. Main St., Pueblo, CO 81003. Online condolences, www.montgomerysteward.com
I used to buy his lunch across the street from his shop. He was a wonderful human being. Sadly missed..
YES, I remember him and he will be missed.
Chari and I shared the privilege of having older brothers who were in the ’62 Centennial class. My trips to Pueblo always include a visit to Union Ave. and the Depot. I still marvel at the transformation of the area from the 1960’s. Ray’s contribution to the community is much appreciated.
Dear Hillery & Family,
We have known Ray for over 15 years and always found him to be a very good friend and a good man. We are sure you and many others grieve for your loss. We also will miss a good man and a good friend.
Wayne & Anita Gilbert
Ray will be greatly missed by the amateur radio community and others who appreciate old tube type radios and experts like Ray who knew how to fix them. It was always a special treat to come to Pueblo to visit with Ray and browse his treasure trove of vintage radios. Ray always took time out from his busy repair shop to help answer questions, talk shop and had a very likeable personality. He is irreplaceable.
Dan Beals, AC0CC
Colorado Springs, CO
I’m so very sorry to hear about the passing of Ray. I’ve known Ray for about 9 years. When I first saw his store full of old radios and electronics parts, I felt like I had just fallen into a big bowl of candy! I too collect and restore old radios and Ray helped me many times with a missing part or figuring out how to make an old set work again. Ray was always a delight to be around and was one of the nicest men I have ever known. I’ll miss him greatly, but certainly am grateful for the privilege of knowing him.
I am very sorry for the loss of Ray.
He was a super person and would help you in any way he could. He will be sadly missed by myself.
My condolences to Ray’s Family. I worked with Ray at Hewlett Packard. He was always a very nice guy. My prayers go to the family.
Dear Hillary & family: We are deeply saddened by Ray’s loss. We became very close to Ray recently due to the various events in the District. He was a good person with a good heart, and a good friend. The recent losses in the area are almost too much to bear and we are heartbroken about them. Please know you are in our thoughts and prayers. Unfortunately, we are unable to attend his memorial service today; but we will always remember Ray and will miss him very much. Sheila and Michael Conlee
I have known Ray for at least 10 years. We both shared the love of tube radios in all of their glory. I purchased several units from him and love them. Ray was super intelligent and there was nothing electrical that he could not “Make Work” again. I will miss him and his museum of radio items.
Venturing into Ray’s spacious radio shop was like stepping back into time! You would be hard pressed to find another shop like it! After you blew the dust off, you were bound to find something you just couldn’t live without! Radio Ray was Pueblo nostalgia! He has been a valued part of Pueblo with a work ethic! Losing Ray is like Meet the Press without Tim Russert! Union Avenue has lost another… We will remember Ray when we listen to Coast to Coast on our Symphonic radio we purchased from Ray. We will treasure it & our memories of Ray! This is a great loss for our community. He will be greatly missed! Our sincere condolences to Ray’s family & friends. Sincerely, Lynn & Robert Olivas
We are better people for having known Ray. We will miss you Ray.
Richard and Suzi Pesicka
Colorado Springs Co.
Pay Ray!!!
Hillary – you are in our thoughts and prayers. We are so happy that we had the day with you and Ray in December. God was certainly looking out for all of us that day! Love to you, Andrea, Brett, Kate and Jacob
Dear Hillery & Family,
As you know well, Ray stood head and shoulders above the rest of us. We, his 1962 classmates of Centennial High School, realized early on that Ray was smarter, funnier, and friendlier than the rest of us. He made us all better, whether it was in the classroom, on the football field, or at the parties.
Please take comfort in Ray’s life; a life well lived, of success, of service to mankind, of love.
Please accept my deepest condolences and sympathies. Bill McKinney
Having known Ray for 52 years (can that even be possible!?) I have such fond memories of him that go back to 7th grade. I’ll never forget that crazy sense of humor that he had and how he made us laugh! Remembering him with fondness!
We are so sad about Ray’s passing. He was a kind hearted friend, always willing to share his vast knowledge and a joy to spend time with. We have many happy memories of our time with Ray and will miss him terribly.
Dear Hilary and Family,
We are sorry to hear of your father’s passing, and our thoughts are with you during this difficult time. Bill loved telling us stories about Ray’s gadgets and radio collection, and to this day, we still use the computers he built for us at our home. His kindness will not be forgotten.
We didn’t know Ray all that well as we moved to Pueblo June of 2007- however, I found him to be an honest, sincere person and genteel spirit with a good sense of humor!
I am deeply saddened for your loss of your father. I lost my father last April and really feel part of your pain.
May Sweet memories help you carry on.
Pamela Nelson, John Tan
Abriendo Inn
Hilary, I am so sorry for the loss of your father.
We are sorry for your loss. I was friends with Chari as a little girl, and so knew Ray for a long time. My husband collects radios and was very impressed with Ray’s collection when we stopped by the shop. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
We will miss you terribly Ray. We are honored that we were your friends for 11 years or so. You will always be in our thoughts & prayers. May you rest in peace.
I was so sorry to hear of Ray’s passing. I met Ray working in the lab at HP in the late ’80s and found him exceedingly kind, generous with his knowledge, and very helpful. He was an excellent mentor in all respects. A few years later when Ray retired, I was so happy for him when I heard that he enjoyed and planned to restore antique radios… the radio technology of the time I too was fascinated by. I’m truly glad that Ray was blessed to have the opportunity to do what he loved and enjoyed. In my opinion… personally and professionally, there were few people of Ray’s caliber. I will miss him.
Ray,
We all miss you dearly buddy. In the vintage radio world me and my friends thought of you as the ultimate icon. You had more collective knowledge than all of us put together.
The last time I saw you was a few days before you fell ill. I walked in and asked to borrow some solder and you wound up and broke off a much larger piece than I really needed. I still have it in by tool box accross the street. I hope someday I can learn to apply it with the skill that you posessed.
We will keep an eye on things….