Obituary of Ray Hankey

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Ray Hankey on April 14^th, 2024, with his family by his side. Left to cherish the memory of Ray is his loving wife, Shirley, and his devoted daughters, Sharon (Adam), Beth, and Christine (Dawn), his sister Sheila and her husband, Alex Sherbot, his nephew Darren Sherbot and his wife Siobhan Jackson, his niece Natashya Sherbot Stronach and her husband, Gord Stronach, his great niece Fionnuala Sherbot, and great nephew Ivan Sherbot. His uncles Joe (Shirley) Kurtenbach and Ed Kurtenbach, and his aunt Loyola Cleland. His sister-in-law Geraldine (Uwe) Schuett, his niece Deana (Jason) Menard, as well as his nephew Greg (Rhonda) Gleim and their children, his niece Audra (Kevin) Hallborg and their children, and Nancy Gleim (Ryan). Ray was predeceased by his parents Joe and Vera Hankey, infant brother Mervin, his in-laws Gordon and Lila Grant, brother and sister-in-law Richard and Bernice Gleim, numerous aunts and uncles, and many beloved pets.

Ray was raised on a farm near Cudworth, SK. After finishing high school, he spent time in Saskatoon but returned to Cudworth to take over the family farm. During that time, he met the love of his life, Shirley. They were happily married for 43 years and had 3 wonderful daughters of whom he was extremely proud. Ray farmed until the difficult decision was made to move to Saskatoon in 1993. He would then obtain a diploma in Biosciences Technology, which led to a job at the University of Saskatchewan with the Winter Wheat Program where he would work as a Research Technician for over 20 years. During the final years with the Winter Wheat Program, Ray was able to obtain his degree in Biochemistry, an achievement of which he was extremely proud.

Ray had a passion for expanding and sharing his knowledge, rock and roll music and book collecting. He had a soft spot for animals and children. We’re sure many can attest to his vast knowledge (encyclopedia brain) through the many stories he shared whether it be family history or random trivia. Another favourite pastime was watching the Saskatchewan Roughriders. One could always count on Ray to make an opinionated post about the Riders on Facebook. Another treasured trait of Ray was his sense of humour and ability to tell jokes, especially “dad jokes”. You couldn’t have a visit with Ray without a good laugh. During the summer months, he enjoyed gardening (especially growing sweet peas) and tinkering around in his backyard, working on small projects. He will be greatly missed by those who knew him and loved him.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Saskatoon SPCA.

A celebration of life will be on Thursday May 2^nd, 2pm at the Edwards Family Centre, Saskatoon, SK. Please wear your favourite rock and roll shirt, Roughrider jersey, or any favourite fun shirt to celebrate Ray. Courtesy parking will be available across the street at Saskatoon Funeral Home.