Raymond Edwin Lahti
November 30, 1952 - December 1, 2021
Raymond Edwin Lahti (69), loving husband, devoted father, and passionate grandfather, passed away unexpectedly on the morning of December 1, 2021 in Sandy, UT.
Ray was born on November 30, 1952 to Edwin Kustaa and Marian Rose (Mell) Lahti. The oldest of six children, he grew up on the family farm in Toivola, MN. From a young age, he acquired a love for canoeing, hiking, and hunting. His life on the farm also fostered the development of his incredible skill for fixing nearly anything with his toolbag and collection of spare parts. He loved being outdoors and was especially at home in the woods.
Ray later attended the University of Minnesota where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. He took pride in putting himself through college by utilizing the skills he learned on the farm to harvest trees. After graduation, Ray began his career in oil refining with Amoco in Casper, WY. Although work always came second to his family, Ray was a devoted employee and worked for the same company his entire career.
He met the love of his life, Denyse, in 1972 while both were attending the University of Minnesota. They were married on February 5, 1977 on a frigid day in Hastings, MN. Together, Ray and Denyse made their first home in Casper, WY, where their three children were born. There, they enjoyed hiking, camping, hunting, and exploring the beautiful mountains of the Western United States. They later moved to Chicago, IL and had the opportunity to visit the many museums and nearby state parks. The last 28 years of their life together were spent in Sandy, UT exploring the outdoors by avidly skiing, camping, and hiking. Throughout their active life together, Ray and Denyse enjoyed traveling and often visited the Northern California coastline to be near their children. They were looking forward to many more years of adventures and especially to continuing to share trips with their children and grandchildren.
Ray was ecstatic to be a father and adored his three children. He cherished sharing his time and hobbies with them, seeding and nurturing their love for the outdoors, skiing, camping, hiking, and traveling. An enthusiastic supporter of their interests, he encouraged them to pursue their own passions. Ray was immensely proud of his childrens’ careers and accomplishments and enjoyed sharing their successes with others. Ray eagerly celebrated birthdays and holidays with his family and joyously celebrated his 69th birthday the day before his passing.
As a grandfather, Ray delighted in his six grandchildren. With his expert calming touch, he bounced and hummed them to sleep in short order. Later, he eagerly joined in their games, from hide-and-seek to chess, and loved making them laugh with his goofiness. He passionately supported them in their interests and enjoyed watching their growth through each stage. Grampy could always be counted on to carry his grandkids atop his shoulders, push them on the swing, or give them a horsey ride.
Ray leaves behind his wife, Denyse Marie (Gergen) Lahti; his children, Jennifer (Kevin) Andersen, Brian (Manuela) Lahti, and John (Madeline) Lahti; and his grandchildren Annika, Kataja, Kairic, and Alrek Andersen and Alessandra and Juliana Lahti. He is preceded in death by his parents Edwin and Marian Lahti and his sister Ann Lahti.
A visitation will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Church (3015 E. Creek RoadCottonwood Heights, UT) on December 9, 2021 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. An intimate family mass will immediately follow. Masks and social distancing will be required for all who attend. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the family’s fund for a memorial in Ray’s honor in a National Forest or Park are equally appreciated, as are donations in his honor to Fourth Street Clinic. Funeral mass may be livestreamed by clicking the “Watch Service Live” Button above, when it becomes available.
In Loving Memory
What an amazing man and we have all been so privileged to have him in our lives. Such a beautiful obituary- thank you for sharing such a lovely tribute. We will so miss his laughter and stories! Love you all so much!!!
Dear Denyse and family, Bill and I send our deepest sympathies to you. We are so sorry Ray passed at such a young age. Please know we are thinking about you at this difficult time.
Our deepest sympathies to the family of Raymond Lahti. We are so sorry for your loss and hope you can find comfort in knowing others care and share in your loss.
So sorry for your loss. Ray was a playmate and school friend. Always kind and thoughtful to others. I know he will be missed greatly. Our prayers and love to your family.
I always knew Uncle Ray as an interested conversationalist. When he got the chance to talk to you, he paid attention and was genuinely interested in what you were sharing. That always made me feel special. He was also really glad to see me whenever we managed to be in MN at the same time. The description of him as a father and grandfather comes as no surprise considering how he treated me and my husband and children. We are sending our love and prayers to Uncle Ray and to all of you. We were lucky to get the time to know him, to love him and BE loved by him. ❤ God Bless!
My sisters and I mourn Raymond's passing. We thoroughly enjoyed debating whatever needed debating with him during our short five minute bus ride which was always too short. I'm sure he got off the bus thinking he won the debates because he always had a grin! We pooled our babysitting monies to buy him a St.Urho rabbit because he said unequivocally that St.Urho's day was better than St. Patrick's day d/t his Finnish heritage. Our prayers are with you all including Ron, Audrey, Richard, Arlene and Susan. May God bless you all! Val Bjerga Norenberg Hibbing
My deepest sympathies go to my dear friends John and Madeleine, and the Lahti Family. Such a beautiful obituary. I had the pleasure of hearing some wonderful stories about John's Dad, and heard the fondness and respect he was held in. May he rest in peace. Michelle
Sincere condolences to John, all the Lahti family, relatives and friends of Raymond. Thinking of you, as you celebrate Raymonds' remarkable life. Sending you warmest thoughts and prayers, Antoinette
My deepest condolences to John and all the Lahti family, relatives and friends on the passing of Raymond - may he RIP. Thinking of you all at this time. Noel
So very sorry for your loss. You are all in our thoughts and prayers. Wanda and John Taray
Sincere condolences to the Lahti family. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Walter and Renea Wiegand
Ray was my big brother! He was always by Dad's side working hard on the farm and appeared to love doing the chores. Happy for all the great memories and for the hope we have in Jesus that I can say see you later!
My deepest sympathy to your family.
Ray was in my class all through high school. He never failed to surprise me with his sense of humor and intelligence. I have often thought of him through the years, wondering how he was doing. What a beautiful family you all are! My sympathy goes out to you all for your great loss.
Ray was my oldest brother and we grew up together on our family farm, so he & I did so much 'side by side.' I learned so much from him while growing up, and I have so many fond & cherished memories. I shall miss you, Ray, and thinking of you now and till we meet together in Glory with our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ!
My sincerest sympathies to all the Lahti family. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. May GOD bring you comfort and peace as you go through this difficult time. The world has been a richer place with Ray being a part of it. Cheryl Busker
When I was transferred from Anacortes to Salt Lake City Ray was one of the first persons to make me feel welcome and like part of the Refinery family. Ray had a deep knowledge of the refinery process and was willing to share his expertise with anyone who needed it. Ray also shared many stories with me of growing up in Minnesota and his love for his family and the outdoors. Rest In Peace my friend. Dan and Chris Cameron
I feel so fortunate to have spent 14 years working with Ray in Salt Lake City. We carpooled to work everyday which allowed me to hear stories about the kids, vacations, ski trips, hikes, and how the refinery was supposed to be operating! I learned a lot from Ray and always thought we would reconnect someday. I am sorry that we didn't, and so sorry for the family's loss. Ray was the world's greatest family man. He showed me that everyday and I'm sure you know how much he loved you all.
Oh my goodness! Ray was on my mind for so many years. We rode the schoolbus and he was always so uplifting. I remember his smile and his teasing. I am so happy for his family because they experienced his happiness so often. I came from a broken famiy. He truly uplifted me every day on the bus. God created him perfectly. I am sorry I never connected with him after we graduated. Looks like his smile never left. I am so sorry for his loss. Sympathy and comfort for his family. Thank God for sharing him thoughout his life with so many people! I am so thankul I grew up knowing him .
I don't really know the answer to this but 2 to 3 weeks ago I was just thinking of Ray unaware of current circumstances. The last time I had seen Ray was in '02(?) while I was a service manager at the local Wal-Mart and at the time I wish we could have spoken a little more, he was gracious enough to excuse himself as I had a lot of customers in waiting and didn't want to interfere. The time before that was in the winter of '72/73 and we had a little more time then as him,I and his future bride traveled from Toivola to the cities so they could get back to classes and I back to work.A lot of people would make fun of us dumb Finlanders in joke form but little would they know that he was one of the most intelligent people in the world.While watching the video at this time I made sure there was time before I went to work,this was way more important and work could wait a little.Time somehow travels way too fast and it seems as if it wasn't as long since the last time we spoke until the mind's calander shows reality.I can tell from the pics that he was a very proud man as was his mother and father.Ray,my friend,you will be missed by many.
I'm so sorry to hear about Ray passing. When I was a young process operator in Casper Wyoming , Ray would come to our unit and talk technical chemical stuff and I really enjoyed talking with him and enjoyed his compassion about the process. Ray would always be cheerful and funny at time. My condolences and prayers for his family.
Ray was my oldest big brother. In the past three years, I got to reconnect and strengthen our relationship mainly because Ray would call me 2 to 3 times per week just to talk. Talk about whatever, the big and little things. He always had advice for me about the farm. I was blessed to have him visit me on the farm this past Fall, so much fun and memories. Ray worked on so many projects without asking him to, he just saw something needed to be done and did it. So grateful for that. Will miss his laughter, his sense of humor, smile and loving voice. But I am looking forward seeing him one day in Glory with Jesus. I am truly blessed to have a big brother like Ray and missing him dearly.
In Loving Memory
