Ernest Raymond Sumner

Ernest Raymond Sumner, known to all of us as Ray and to his dear father as "Pepper", passed peacefully from this mortal existence on Tuesday, October 20, 2020.

Ray was born in Price, Utah on November 1, 1930 to Vincent and Clea Sumner. He enjoyed many things in his boyhood and Price was the perfect backdrop for all of his shenanigans. He grew up fishing, hunting and camping with his dad, mom, and younger brother Mack. When his own family came along, he passed that love for the outdoors onto his own children. He was good at basketball and tennis but his real loves were skiing and golfing. He won many ski competitions and titles. Ray also loved golf and had the thrill of making 8 holes-in-one. While those were highlights, his real joy was the companionship of friends and family who shared the love of the game. Even those who didn't love the game, loved spending time with him.

Ray married his sweetheart, Jideen Gardner on October 13, 1951, just days before reporting for basic training. He had been drafted to serve in the army for the Korean War. War years were difficult memories and not often spoken of.
After he returned from Korea, Ray and Jideen and their firstborn made their home in Price. In subsequent years, three more children followed and the family moved to Salt Lake City where Ray and Jideen spent 50 years. He loved his "snowbird life" where they spent the winters in Washington, Utah and divided the rest of the time between the cabin he built in Pine Mountain, Salt Lake City, and Logan. Because of his outgoing personality and varied interests, he made good friends everywhere he went.

Ray had many talents and a number of occupations, but by far the most satisfying was owning  Granite Carpet Cleaning which he built from the ground up. His business was largely repeat customers because of his great attention to detail, his honesty and dependable work ethic. He employed young men, including his own sons, who learned much more from him than just the proper way to clean carpets.

Ray is survived by his attentive wife who lovingly cared for his every need during his extended illness. They just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary and he was 11 days shy of his 90th birthday. He is survived by all of his children, Renie (Randyl Williams) Gary (Karen), Diane (Gary Davidson) Kent (Aleta), as well as 17 grandchildren, and 39 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his only brother, Mack Sumner and his wife Jackie of Nauvoo, Illinois.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, services will be held for the family Friday, October 23, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at Tonaquint Cemetery, St. George, Utah.