BOARDMAN - Raymond J. Tesner, 85, passed away suddenly Thursday, April 12, 2012, while vacationing with his wife, Dorothy, in Chile, South America.
Ray was born Aug. 4, 1926, in Brier Hill in Youngstown, a son of Vincent and Rose Hoffman Tesner.
He attended St. Casimir grade school and Rayen High School, leaving before graduation to enlist in the U.S. Army during World War II.
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Tesner
Serving in the Pacific Theater, he was stationed in Japan as a paratrooper with the 11th Airbourne Division and volunteered to extend his enlistment in the service an additional year.
When the war ended, he earned his high school GED and then attended The Ohio State University for two years.
Returning to Youngstown, this ambitious young man began a business as a door-to-door magazine salesman. He also worked in sales for Ohio Edison and Van's Furniture before, ultimately, starting his own company, Trumbull Furniture Showrooms, which he operated for 34 years.
Never wanting to be idle, he was a partner in American Dream Enterprise for eight years, finally retiring in 2007.
His many civic activities include his former two-year service on the City of Warren School Board and his current membership on the Board of Sahara Club II, a safe haven for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, located in Warren. He was also a friend of Bill W. and a member of AA for 48 years.
In 1952, Ray married his first wife, Mary Veres, with whom he had three children. He and Mary operated the gourmet Pop Corn Store in Cincinnati, enjoyed a multitude of family activities together and shared 35 happy years before she passed away in 1986.
He married his second wife, Dorothy Palguta, in 1989. They shared a love of travel and spent their years together visiting several countries on five continents.
Always an athlete, Ray could be found on the golf course four days a week. This dedication resulted in four club championships, one each at Oak Tree Country Club and the Mahoning Country Club, and twice at Tippecanoe Country Club. He made 10 hole-in-one shots and also won the Ohio Senior Amateur ranking. He was currently a member of both Squaw Creek and Avalon country clubs.
Racquetball was another passion, and he was a partner in building the Royal Racquetball Club in Warren. Table Tennis was his forte, however, proven by winning both a singles and a doubles championship in 1946 in Sendai, Japan.
Skiing was added to his list of accomplishments later in life and he enjoyed this sport until he was 80 years old. He also loved fishing in Alaska and in Canada, where he made annual trips with his sons, grandsons and brother-in-law, Frank.
Ray also sponsored a AAA baseball team for several years, which helped launch the careers of many aspiring young athletes.
Besides his parents and his first wife, Mary Veres Tesner, Ray was preceded in death by two sisters, Marie Haak Rockney and Frances Barwick; three brothers, Felix, Walter and Paul Tesner; a grandson, Mark Tesner; and a nephew, Carl Tesner Jr.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Palguta Tesner; two sons, Dr. Ray (Candy) Tesner and Tim (Missy) Tesner of Columbus; a daughter, Carol (Bryan) Davis of Columbus; two brothers, Carl (Dorothy) Tesner of Canfield and Edmund Tesner of Austintown; nine grandchildren, Brady (Katie) Tesner, Amber (Adam) Scott, Rawley, Jack and Anna Davis, and Anthony and Stephanie Tesner, all of Columbus, Brittany (Dan) Straka of Nashville and McKenzie (Matt) Skellan of Baltimore; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Ray will also be missed by his in-laws, Dr. Frank (Trish) Veres, Martha (Jim) Genos, Ed (Mary Lou) Palguta and Sue (J. D.) Mirto, all of whom he shared many pleasant activities with over the years.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made in Ray's name to Sahara Club II, 2345 Youngstown Road, Warren, OH 44482.
Calling hours will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Kubina-Yuhasz-Wasko Funeral Home in Boardman.
Memorial services are open to family and close friends and will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday at Squaw Creek Country Club.
The family says Ray lived his life one day at time and had "no regrets."
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