David “Dave” Edward Raymus, Sr., 64, of Essex passed away unexpectedly at his home on September 22, 2023. He was born in Stockton, California on April 14, 1959, son of Antone and Marie (Medeiros) Raymus.

   Dave spent most of his life in California. He graduated from Manteca High in 1977. He went on to get his contractor’s license and worked in the family real estate business for many years. In 2015, he moved to Vermont to live with his daughter, Danielle, and son-in-law David Bright.  Dave was a loving father and grandfather who will be greatly missed by all who knew him. 

   He was generous and kind with the best sense of humor. He was always trying to make people laugh and had a joke for every occasion. He had a passion for helping people and would go out of his way to make someone happy. He volunteered regularly at the Salvation Army preparing and passing out food. He also volunteered weekly at Meals on Wheels delivering meals and

providing companionship to home bound individuals.  His hobbies included fishing, gardening, spending time with family, and singing (he signed every card with “sung from the heart”). He had a love for sports, was a lifelong 49ers fan, but also rooted for the Vikings because his cousin Johnny loved the Vikings, and he loved his cousin. He had a very serious love of food, any and all food made him immensely happy. He spent a great deal of time preparing his meals and would spend even longer eating them because he liked to draw out the experience.

   He also loved his best friend, Fluff, a 3lb black and white chihuahua who he never went anywhere without. If you knew him in Vermont, you most likely know of Fluff as well.  Dave would want his memory to be a happy one that you can look back on and smile, because more than anything, he wanted to make people smile.

   Dave is survived by his daughter Danielle Raymus; son David Edward Raymus Jr.; granddaughter Callie Bright; brother Bob Raymus; sister Toni Raymus; cousin John Gotschall “GIB”; best friend Fluff.

   A Memorial Service will be held in Manteca, California on October 21st at 11:00 a.m. at Calvary Community Church with a reception to follow 815 W. Lathrop Rd., Manteca, CA 95336.

Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.

Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin

Saturday, October 7, 2023