Master Sergeant USMC (Ret.) Edwin Raymond Gulath, Jr.

On the beautiful Indian summer day of November 15, 2006, Master Sergeant USMC (Ret.) Edwin Raymond Gulath, Jr., our beloved father, Papa, brother and friend, passed from the loving arms of his family to the loving arms of God. Ray died peacefully at his home after a brief illness. He was 78 years old.

Ray was born January 8, 1928, to Edwin and Florence Gulath in St. Louis, MO.

Ray was a Marine’s Marine. He joined the Marine Corps at age 18 and retired 22 years later only to convert to a civil service position with the Marine Corps for the next 24 years. Ray finally retired from Camp Pendleton in 1993 after 46 years of US Government service. Master Sergeant Gulath was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. He received numerous medals and honors for his outstanding performance and dedication to his work. He was instrumental in ushering the USMC into the computer age at a time when computers were bigger than refrigerators.

His love for math and computers continued his whole life. His only greater loves were his wife and best friend, Dixie, his extended family and his beloved German shepherd, Tori. Ray was an active member of Zion Lutheran Church and served on the Board of Elders. He lived his Christian life with quiet dignity and steadfast faith; even through his incredible suffering, his faith never wavered.

Ray is preceded in death by his dearest wife, Dixie, and his parents.

He is survived by daughters and son-in-law Sandra Bagley (Salt Lake City), Pamala Wilson (San Diego) and Patricia and William Hogue (Lakeside); sister and brother-in-law Jean and Fred Oebermann (St. Louis); brother and sister-in-law Charles and Sally (St. Louis); grandchildren Todd Bagley and wife Brittney (Salt Lake City), Paige Simon and husband Kelly (Salt Lake City) and Joshua and Sean Hogue (Lakeside); great-grandchildren Dain and Jack Bagley (Salt Lake City); and numerous nieces and nephews.

Graveside services with full military honors were held Monday, November 20, 2006, at Riverside National Cemetery. A memorial service followed at 1:30 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Ray’s name be made to Zion Lutheran Church, 1405 E. Fallbrook St., Fallbrook, CA 92028.

The family would like to extend special thanks to the nurses and staff of Fallbrook Hospice, especially Virginia and Diane, and to David, for volunteering his time. Also, a special thank you to Pastor Mark Demel and the members of the Zion Lutheran Church community for their support during this time of grieving and for the love they extended to our parents.