Ray Umber

Dr. Ray Ernest Umber, 69, of Buffalo, Wyoming, died August 22, 2018 after fighting multiple myeloma cancer for eight years. He was born November 14, 1948, to Ralph and Ruth (nee’ Estes) Umber in Watonga, Oklahoma. Ray grew up on a farm where he developed a tenacious work ethic and eye for invention. He graduated from Watonga High School in 1967; Southwestern State College in Weatherford, Oklahoma in 1971, and continued his education at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts earning a Ph.D. in Botany in 1977. He taught Biology Lab at Harvard University before accepting an Assistant Professorship of Botany at Wellesley College where he taught for a year. He then accepted an Assistant Professor position in botany at the University of Wyoming for seven years before leaving academia to join a medical device company, Midas Rex, as an Educational Consultant for 13 years. The company’s specialty was in high speed pneumatic tools. Leveraging the teaching skills he had developed as a professor, Ray trained doctors to use the company’s medical devices. Although he was hired to teach at Midas Rex, the eye for invention Ray acquired as a child led him to become one of the leading design engineers at the company. In the year 2000, he cofounded Maestro Medical, and Ray continued to work and consult for this medical device company as their Marketing Development Manager until becoming ill in 2010.

Ray is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife sally (Romine) of the home; children, Aaron and wife Katherine Umber, of San Francisco, CA; Adam and wife Meghan Umber, of Los Angeles, CA; Emma and husband Matt Coldwell, of Elizabeth City, North Carolina; and Sarah and husband Louis Ragusa of Frankfort, KY; grandchildren; Damien Coldwell, Charles Coldwell and Hawthorne Ragusa; siblings, Rex and wife Debbie Umber; Roger and wife Wanda Umber; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 pm, Saturday, October 6, 2018 Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home Chapel, Enid, Oklahoma, with inurnment of ashes at Memorial Park Cemetery, 6405 Memorial Drive, Enid, Oklahoma.

Condolences may be made at www.ladusauevans.com.