Ray Beck Brady “Pops” was born October 30, 1918 in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan to mother, Marie Otilda Beck,(first generation of her Norwegian family to be born in the U.S) and Branch B. Brady (descendent of Scots/Irish ancestors).
Ray was raised in a home without indoor plumbing and transportation was via horse and buggy. Ray and his wife, Dolores “Dee” (Shepherd) Brady met in Havre, Montana in 1939 where they worked at the local Buttrey’s store.
They were married for 64 years before she passed away in 2005. Most of their married life was spent in Shelby and Great Falls until Ray’s retirement from the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind.
In 1940, Ray’s hockey skills brought him to Great Falls to play for the local hockey team. He continued on to become the coach, playing captain, and voted the 1950 “Most Valuable Player” for the American’s hockey team.
Ray’s work included; Buttreys, the Anaconda Company, City Motors, Hatch Chevrolet, and many years as the owner of a Texaco station in Shelby. He spent the last of his working years at the School for the Deaf & Blind where he learned to use sign language to communicate with the children and staff.
Ray enlisted in the Army in 1944 just before his second child was born. He shipped out with the Army Artillery Corps to the Pacific front. They engaged in several battles enroute to Japan where he was stationed as part of the American occupation forces.
One year later, he was back home in Great Falls where he would spend every spare minute away from work with his family.
Family life was full of activities: hunting, fishing, water and snow skiing, golfing, ballroom dancing, dirt biking, playing in pool tournaments, hiking, camping, and until the age of 84, rollerblading on the River’s edge trail.
Their retirement was spent in Montana, California, and Arizona. His middle name should have been “Action.”
When asked about his life, having survived the depression and World War II, he would simply say, “Life is too short. It’s good to have fun.”
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, visit the Croxford Funeral Home website.
