Raymond J. Blastic

January 28, 1933 – May 25, 2026

Ray was born in Whiting, Indiana to John and Victoria Blastick. He was the middle child, with older sister Lorraine and younger brother John. He attended grade school at St. Adalbert’s Catholic School and graduated from Whiting High School in 1950.

He played high school football and earned a scholarship to Arizona State University. He packed his suitcase and left Indiana at age 17 to go to Tempe, Arizona. He played football for the Sun Devils for one year and then returned to Indiana. He liked to tell his children not to make the same mistake he made and take education seriously.

Ray served in the United States Coast Guard from 1952 through 1956. He spent 18 months on an island in Alaska guarding the coast and manning a lighthouse.

He married Barbara Germick in 1957 and together they celebrated 69 years of marriage in January 2026. Although both he and Barbara attended Whiting High School, they officially met at a dance a few years after graduation. They married between college semesters while Ray was working full-time to support his young family. He graduated from Loyola University of Chicago in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in commerce.

Ray started his accounting career at Authur Young in Chicago. In 1965 he moved the family to Ormond Beach, Florida to work for The Root Company. Throughout his tenure he held many positions within the organization, including Controller for Associated Coca Cola, Executive Vice President of Shawnee Airlines, Area Manager of Jacksonville Coca Cola Bottling Company, Vice President of Associated Coca Cola, Station Manager of Love 94.5 Radio and Vice President of Operations of The Root Company. He retired in 1993 after 29 years with The Root Company.

The family came to Florida in 1965 with 3 children and had 3 more in Florida. As Mom likes to tell people, “it must have been the weather”. In his different positions with The Root Company, the family moved from Ormond Beach to Orlando, then to Jacksonville and back to Ormond Beach where they have lived for the last 45 years.

He was an avid reader and enjoyed fishing and playing golf.

After retirement, he kept very busy. His yard was his passion and he spent countless hours working outside and feeding the squirrels, raccoons and all other animals that would visit. He volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and at Prince of Peace Catholic Church preparing tax returns. He worked with pencil and paper and very seldom used an adding machine.

Ray even prepared his tax return this past February. We know he is in heaven with his pencil and notepad telling God “give me a few minutes, I can save you money on your taxes!”

He was a member of the American Legion and VFW.

He leaves as his living legacy Barbara, his wife of 69 years, 6 children; Susan Blastic, Nancy Swalby (Tom), Paul Blastic (Laura), Teresa Fusile (Jeff), Julie Baur (Paul), and Karl Blastic (Kim); 18 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren of whom he was so proud.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to Dad’s favorite charities: St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, and Smile Train.

Visitation Wednesday, June 10, 2026 from 5- 8pm at Lohman Funeral Home in Ormond Beach. Funeral Mass will be held Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 3pm at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Ormond Beach.