Raymond Ernest Ellison
Born Aug. 9 1930 in Los Angeles, CA near Inglewood, CA. Attended Dorsey High School where he was very interested and excelled at sports. He was a good student and was well liked by all. Sometime in January of 1951, Ray joined the U.S. Navy and entered the dental program for dental asst. studies. He served on hospital ships in Korea, etc. After a successful tour of duty in the Korean campaign he returned home to L.A., got married to Lillian Thornquist and started a family. He enrolled at UCLA and lived on campus in married student housing and attended the School of Dentistry and General Studies. He graduated from UCLA with a BA in General Studies. At that time his father asked him to join their family business, Pacific Laundry Machinery Company, which his grandfather had founded in 1918. The company specialized in industrial laundry machines. Their company designed, built and repaired many industrial laundries in L.A. and out of state. Ray would buy the company from his father in the 60s and expand the company’s operations to Mexico, China, Korea and many other domestic U.S. states. After a successful career and expanding the company, in 1990 Ray entrusted his first son Dana with the company. Ray and Lillian, with 2 daughters and 2 sons lived initially in Gardena, CA and with the business growing and expanding moved quickly to Palos Verdes, CA in 1965. He and family would develop many friends while in PV and their children would attend PV schools. Ray and Lillian enjoyed square and round dancing and would spend 2 wks. per year vacationing and camping, water skiing in Northern Calif. . In 1994 with the children now on their own Ray and Lillian decided to follow their friends and move to Hemet, CA. While in Hemet Ray and Lillian would enjoy traveling the United States in their RV, touring all the states at least twice. Sadly Raymond Ernest Ellison passed at 92 yrs. of age on January 23, 2023. He will be greatly missed by many, many friends and is survived by his devoted wife of 70 years Lillian, daughter Cathleen, sons Dana and Glenn, 9 grandchildren, 12 great great grandchildren, brother Gorden and extended family. He will be missed but never forgotten by friends and family who he had shared his gentle wisdom.
