To those who knew Ray over the years, they would describe him as a dedicated and loving man to his family, father to two gorgeous kids - Rebecca and Ryan, a loyal friend to those who he considered his "band of brothers", a committed worker to his employer - who gave his best and seldom wavered from his beliefs about work place ethics. The "Ideal Man", some would insinuate.
Known to all as an ambitious planner and a short fuse in his early years, Ray would be tasked with organization - be it a trip with his group of friends or something as simple as choosing a restaurant to eat. Blessed with a brilliant memory, he remembered everything. He was an Encyclopedia and knew when to flaunt his unique gift. This ability to recall an important event or date was passed down from his father, Ray Andersen, Sr., who in his heydays was the "Internet" before the "Internet". It's in the genes, he would proudly declare.
Ray's buddies would regularly pick on him due to his propensity to get pissed off at the slightest hint of incorrectness or at times, incompetence (a trait that has carried on all these years) but, being the youngest of them all, he would always be mollycoddled. To his credit, Ray looked past all the friendly bullying over the years and now understood the harmless banter about him during his college days were only because they cared for him.
The reputation of a master planner hinged on the fact that decisions that he made for himself always seemed to work in a manner as he had envisioned it, with very less margins for deviations from the original plan. Rarely did he miss his target - and more importantly, he figured he could actually control what was beyond him. This, one day, would come back to haunt him which would change his perspective on life and thinking forever.
As he contemplated leaving the shores of his motherland to embark on a mission to a place that he considered familiar, Raymond 'Ray' Andersen, struggled to understand the roadblocks, difficulties and corporate red tape that stood in his way of achieving his ultimate goal. In spite of giving his 100%, this was something that bothered Ray for months together. A control freak who demanded nothing but excellence, he was known for his aggression at work but that was only his limitless passion to perfect his craft. The "Perfectionist", colleagues called him.
He was married to Kimberly 'Kimi' Moele, his college friend and sweetheart, for over 10 years. They lived with their two kids and his parents in suburban Bombay. Ray and Kimi were born in this city, raised and completed their college education here. Ray moved to the US to pursue higher education while Kimi did her own MBA in Bombay. Life was good for them then as they made their way up in the US moving multiple times but eventually settling down in Chicago. Or so they thought.
Ray considered himself to be a funny guy. He loved to share his thoughts about events that otherwise seemed mundane and give it a twist that (he thought) would cause someone to, at least, chuckle. He loved writing and posted stories about his little kids and their quirky behaviors in the hope that one day, when they grow up, they would come across stories about themselves that their father had shared with the world. He silently prayed that his kids would think of him as a good dad long after he is gone.
The blissfully good life and relationships they had so painstakingly built was about to be tested in a manner they never would have imagined in their wildest dreams.
To be continued..
Known to all as an ambitious planner and a short fuse in his early years, Ray would be tasked with organization - be it a trip with his group of friends or something as simple as choosing a restaurant to eat. Blessed with a brilliant memory, he remembered everything. He was an Encyclopedia and knew when to flaunt his unique gift. This ability to recall an important event or date was passed down from his father, Ray Andersen, Sr., who in his heydays was the "Internet" before the "Internet". It's in the genes, he would proudly declare.
Ray's buddies would regularly pick on him due to his propensity to get pissed off at the slightest hint of incorrectness or at times, incompetence (a trait that has carried on all these years) but, being the youngest of them all, he would always be mollycoddled. To his credit, Ray looked past all the friendly bullying over the years and now understood the harmless banter about him during his college days were only because they cared for him.
The reputation of a master planner hinged on the fact that decisions that he made for himself always seemed to work in a manner as he had envisioned it, with very less margins for deviations from the original plan. Rarely did he miss his target - and more importantly, he figured he could actually control what was beyond him. This, one day, would come back to haunt him which would change his perspective on life and thinking forever.
As he contemplated leaving the shores of his motherland to embark on a mission to a place that he considered familiar, Raymond 'Ray' Andersen, struggled to understand the roadblocks, difficulties and corporate red tape that stood in his way of achieving his ultimate goal. In spite of giving his 100%, this was something that bothered Ray for months together. A control freak who demanded nothing but excellence, he was known for his aggression at work but that was only his limitless passion to perfect his craft. The "Perfectionist", colleagues called him.
He was married to Kimberly 'Kimi' Moele, his college friend and sweetheart, for over 10 years. They lived with their two kids and his parents in suburban Bombay. Ray and Kimi were born in this city, raised and completed their college education here. Ray moved to the US to pursue higher education while Kimi did her own MBA in Bombay. Life was good for them then as they made their way up in the US moving multiple times but eventually settling down in Chicago. Or so they thought.
Ray considered himself to be a funny guy. He loved to share his thoughts about events that otherwise seemed mundane and give it a twist that (he thought) would cause someone to, at least, chuckle. He loved writing and posted stories about his little kids and their quirky behaviors in the hope that one day, when they grow up, they would come across stories about themselves that their father had shared with the world. He silently prayed that his kids would think of him as a good dad long after he is gone.
The blissfully good life and relationships they had so painstakingly built was about to be tested in a manner they never would have imagined in their wildest dreams.
To be continued..
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