Thank you to all of Ray Zone’s family, friends, and colleagues who joined us on Sunday, December 16th for the memorial celebration of Ray’s life.
We will continue to accept donations to the fund set up in Ray’s name through the LA 3-D Club to help preserve and maintain his work and collection, and to help with the expenses of his estate.
I am Ray’s sister and appreciate your work in remembering Ray. I look forward to attending and celebrating my brother’s work and life. He was an amazing man and brother.
Sadly, I will be in the UK on the 16th visiting my ailing Dad. I had intended to make a trip south for any celebration for Ray that was organized as I not only miss him, but also my LA3D family. I’ll be thinking of you all.
Really nice photo of Ray to add to our remembrance of him and his works and his generosities. Thanks to the LA 3D club and all his friends for keeping alive the memory and works, including the unfinished works and archives, in our hears and minds. Who will pick up the torch? I hope all of us…
Ray was a great guy and a huge help to me when I was getting started in 3d conversion. He was always helpful and very passionate about 3d. I owe him a lot.
The King of 3-D was devoted, dedicated and disciplined in it.
He made Magic on Paper.
Gone way to soon.
Looking forward to this Deserved Tribute.
Ray contributed to two of my films, as an interviewee and latterly as a consultant. He was fun and funny to hang with. He always had energy for the task and it never seemed like work to him. He told so many amazing stories and could recall encyclopaedic dates and details without checking them. It became sport to question his accuracy and watch his face closely for any sign of doubt – but it was always a smile and always later after checking we would find he was right again.
Sadly will be in the UK and will miss the memorial. Please all those who attend remember Ray for all of us who cannot. I’ll watch some interview footage on the day to remember him too.
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Even weeks after hearing the news about Ray I haven’t really been able to fathom the loss.
I may not accept it until I don’t see him at the NSA convention.
He was truly and inspiration to me. The first time I heard him speak at length about 3D it really lit the flame that keeps me interested to this day.
I wish I could be there to honor him. If every person that loved him could be there, you would never find enough room.
He was the first 3D teacher and friend in 3D Ilustration ….
Oh Gosh,
I cannot imagine my 3D life without Ray. He has always been there for me with my 3D questions and was a fantastic mentor. Ray was the best!
I was just told today about Ray’s passing. I feel very saddened that I only knew him very briefly – he was such a heroic champion of this exciting form.
He shot my performance in 3-d at the University of Southern California on October 12, and planned to sell the program he edited. He was truly a gentleman and fine person.
Wow. This is disheartening news. I can’t believe it’s been better than 20 years plus, maybe even 30, when Ray sent me some 3D comic books to look at and we talked about distribution. It sounds like all the greats I’ve been lucky to meet or know are heading off. Ray, an honor… thanks for leading the way for so many.
It was always a pleasure to see Ray and talk about 3D, and to view the great work he has done! My deepest sympathy to Ray’s family for there loss! He will be missed by so many of us.
I can now understand that saying, “It seems like yesterday”. The first
time that I met Ray in 1981, I remember thinking “how wonderful it is that
this young fellow is so interested in 3D and the history of it”. He was so
interested in the 3-D comics of the 1950’s, and so excited that now he was
going to get the opportunity, through Susan Pinsky’s 3d Cosmic Publications,
to start converting comics to 3D himself. Flash forward to the 3D Club
meeting in Pasadena, where Ray, jovial and vibrant as usual, suddenly turned
somber and reflective, and started commenting about the late Dan Symmes,
and how Dan’s passing taught us a lesson in getting our stereo things
together for those who would be following in our footsteps. Now Ray
himself is gone.
His writings and his comic book conversions will be his legacy. He will
long be fondly remembered by us all.
I am also hopeful that others will contribute to help round out the story. An obituary, by its very nature, cannot hope to capture even the essence of an entire lifetime. There is so much to say about Ray and his many accomplishments in so many areas. When it came to stereoscopic 3D, he was always ahead of the curve. His approach was always upbeat; challenges that would have discouraged others just served to make Ray happy with the opportunities that they afforded. He always looked on the positive side of things, thinking of ways to do something better. And, he was always thinking ahead to the next project, the next opportunity. Roadblocks never bothered him, he just turned in a different direction, and went around them, often finding that this new direction was better than the original plan.
The thought that now we no longer will have Ray’s insight and direction has given a pause to many. Yet, stereoscopic 3D will continue to grow in an ever widening circle of acceptance, no small part of which is due to Ray’s laying the groundwork and showing us the path by which this may be accomplished, as well as himself opening the doors for others to go through. His appeal at Comic-Con and other conventions and conferences created an interest in many, many young people who will be the future of stereoscopic 3D. He promoted 3D more broadly to more of the future advocates than can be imagined. Thank you Ray, for relighting the 3D torch and fanning the flames. It will no longer go out, largely because of you.
Thank you, Eric and the rest of the LA 3D Club, for organizing the memorial service yesterday. It was “amazing”, to use one of Ray’s favorite words. I felt it was just as Ray would have wanted. And thanks for the easy to find “Donate” button on this page!!
I first knew Ray in high school. It was abundantly clear then that he possessed an inspired ability to see things from a new perspective and would do something very wonderful and unique with his life. That life was cut short, but his vast body of work remains in testimony to his genius. I am grateful for the example he set for the rest of us as someone who insisted on being utterly himself in spite of the often harsh judgment of others and tremendous pressure to “fit in”. That was his gift to me.
I miss Ray! He was a very special person and a genuine mentor to me.