For just a brief moment in a lifetime, about 200 people including family, friends, well-wishers, as well as fellow veterans gathered together on August 3 to celebrate the 100th Birthday of Colton Hometown Hero Ray Gomez. The event was held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6476 and organized by Ray’s daughter Cynthia Martinez, and grand-daughters Leslie Cruz and Michelle Thrash.
Born in San Bernardino on August 3, 1925 Ray Gomez has spent a lifetime of service to his family, to our nation and to the community of Colton. Ray’s parents were Angel and Mercedes Gomez, and he has two sisters, Annie and Esther, and one brother, Angel Jr.
As a young man Ray worked in the fields and then found part-time work at Kaiser Steel. Because of the need for troops during WWII, Ray joined the United States Army at the age of 18, and was immediately assigned to Fort McArthur in San Pedro for formal induction, and to receive his uniform and equipment. The next step was his basic training where he spent 17 weeks at Camp Fannin in Texas and one month at Camp Van Doren in Louisiana. After being sent to Fort Dix in New Jersey for combat assignment young Ray was transported to England on the well-known ship “Queen Elizabeth.” From that point he served in England, France, Luxembourg, and Germany. His rank was Private First Class (PFC) and served in the U.S. Army from November 1943-May 1946.
After being discharged from military service Ray found employment with the Santa Fe Railroad for which he worked 20 years. Ray had two children, Patsy and Danny, with his first wife, and later married Cora on May 12, 1952 at the age of 22, and decided to make Colton their home. Ray and Cora had two children, Cynthia and Debra. Cora passed away in 2018 after 66 years of marriage. Over the years, Ray has been blessed with twelve grandchildren and currently finds himself at the head of a happy, successful and close-knit family all interwoven into the community fabric of the Colton “vib,” including work, school, church, veterans affairs and community events.
At the birthday celebration, many had the opportunity to talk with Ray, take photos and join in for the signing of Happy Birthday. Carmen Moyeda, wife of good friend Bernie Moyeda reflected, “I can’t believe he made it to 100. I can only hope I can be that blessed.” Bernie himself weighed in by saying, “I’ve lived a long time too, you old fart.” Additionally, one of Ray’s long-time friends who served in the Korean War, Rudy Contreras, wanted to comment as a fellow wounded soldier that, “Although Ray was seriously wounded, he just kept going.”
The well-attended event closed with several well-wishes and individual photo ops with Ray, bringing to the end a heart-felt celebration that will be remembered a long time.
Ray Gomez is to be congratulated for having a successful career, raising a healthy family, serving his country, and firmly etching his place in the history of our City of Colton. Best wishes to Ray Gomez for a continued path of life, love, success and prosperity. You are truly blessed. Happy Birthday Ray Gomez.