Raymond Parker McMinds, 1928-1984, as a child

Raymond was a lively boy and had a normal childhood until his brother Ralph drowned in front of him. They were at a riverfront park near the Columbia River. Riptides from the influx of rain the day before made the water treacherous. His other brother Louis was with them, too. They tried to reach Ralph but the current was too strong. An unknown man also leapt in to help, to no avail. Ralph died at 13 years old, Louis was 16 and Ray was only 9. There's no doubt that this event affected Ray through his formative years and into adulthood. He repeatedly had scrapes with the law through the 1950s in his 20s.