Raymond E. Wachs, 97, of Eau Claire, stepped peacefully into eternal life on September 15, 2010, surrounded by the love of his entire family.Ray was born on February 18, 1913, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to August and Martha Wachs. He married Lucille Israels of Webster, Wisconsin on February 1, 1942, in St. Louis, Missouri. They had three children, Rochelle, Pamela and Dana, all of whom survive him.Ray received his bachelor's degree in 1936 and his law degree in 1938, from Marquette University. He used his legal training and fluency in German as a special agent doing criminal investigations for the U.S. Armed Forces in World War II. Following his discharge, Ray and Lucille moved to Eau Claire, where Ray practiced law for several years before being appointed Eau Claire City Attorney. He served as City Attorney from 1957 to 1970, and as Eau Claire City Manager from 1970 to 1978, before returning to private practice.Ray was a long time member of the Board of Directors of the City Management Association, serving a term as its president, and was a past president of the Wisconsin League of Municipalities.Ray was appointed to a number of state legislative advisory committees, by both Republican and Democratic governors, including the Committee on the Environment and the Labor Committee. In recognition of his advisory pro bono services to these legislative committees, Acting Governor Martin J. Schreiber proclaimed Thursday, June 15, 1978, as Ray E. Wachs Day in the State of Wisconsin.In Eau Claire, Ray was active in numerous civic affairs. He was one of the last surviving members of the initial Board of Directors and organizers of the Eau Claire (now Noon) Lions Club; served as a trustee of the Hobbs Foundation for many years; was a member of the Eau Claire County Board of Supervisors; and was a commissioner on the Eau Claire County Civil Services Commission. Ray was a past President of the Eau Claire County Bar Association, the Eau Claire County Democratic Party, and the Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire. Ray was awarded a lifetime membership in the Eau Claire County Mental Health Association in recognition of his pro bono legal services there.Ray also was a member of American Legion Post #53, and of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #305, having served in the 13th Unit of the Criminal Investigation Division in Europe during World War II, from the Normandy invasion until the end of both the war in Europe and the war in the Pacific.Ray was active in the affairs of the Epiphany Lutheran Church of Eau Claire, where he taught Sunday School and Bible classes; was a member of the choir; and served as church Chairman for many years. He was a strong advocate in the formation of the Eau Claire Lutheran Elementary School and in the formation and promotion of the Epiphany Lutheran Foundation, for which he acted as pro bono legal advisor to his death. He also served on the Board of Adjudicators of the Lutheran Church North Wisconsin District-Missouri Synod, and on the site selection committee for a new seminary of the Missouri Synod.Ray was an avid fisherman and hunter, and together with his beloved wife Lucille, loved their children and the companionship of their dogs. Over the years, he and his wife traveled the country in their motor home from sea to sea, and into Canada and Mexico.Ray was an organizer and supporter of the Bait Casting Club, and won a number of the bait casting (and "rock projection") competitions it sponsored at Half Moon Lake.Ray was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Walter Wachs Sr. and his wife, Valeria Wachs; his sister, Evelyn Krog and her husband, John Krog, and his brother-in-law, Paul Edwards.Ray is survived by his beloved wife, Lucille; his children, Rochelle Wachs Arnold (Richard Arnold), Pamela Wachs-Baily (William Baily), and Dana Wachs (Beverly Wickstrom) all of Eau Claire; his grandchildren, Michelle (Joe) Meier, Vanessa (Luke) Hotchkiss, Collin Baily (Emily Gumbert), and Jordan, Jessica and Elliott Wachs; his great-grandchildren, Noah and Sophia Hotchkiss and Lesleigh Ann Baily; his niece, Cindy Edwards; his nephew, Walter Wachs; and many other relatives and friends.Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, September 20, 2010, at Epiphany Lutheran Church, 3031 Epiphany Lane in Eau Claire, with Rev. Russell Kampfer officiating. Burial will be in Rest Haven Cemetery in the Town of Washington. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, September 19, 2010, at Lenmark-Gomsrud-Linn Funeral Home and one hour prior to the services Monday at the church.Ray advises he was preapproved for many credit cards. (When leaving, he always left with people smiling.)Memorials may be directed to Eau Claire Humane Society, 3900 Old Town Hall Road, Eau Claire, WI 54701.

Service Information