Saint Anselm All Star
Ray Blum
Today, as we celebrate April Fools’ Day, our All Star, Ray Blum, is noted for his pranks. If you know him, then you know about his photographic masks, but, Ray, this is no joke, you are our All Star.
Ray grew up in St. Boniface Parish and attended MastbaumHigh School. He met his wife, Linda, while playing baseball at KensingtonChristianCenter. They married in 1969 and moved into St. Anselm Parish where they lived until 1974. Since Ray’s employment moved to New Jersey, they did also. They returned to our parish 1n 1978 and resided here until 2005. Ray and Linda currently dwell in Heathergate, a 55 and over community, located in Langhorne. They have two sons, Pat and Chris, and 5 grandchildren.
Ray has been very generous with his spare time and, fortunately, St. Anselm Parish has been the main recipient of it. He was the Athletic Director prior to the completion of the gym; therefore, necessitating locating gym space for the various teams. He coached CYO basketball and baseball for both PYO and Academy Sabres.
Ray volunteered for Blue and Gold Days, chaperoned CYO dances, and was a wonderful Santa Claus. He sold Million Dollar Adventure Tickets and he and Linda were part of the Pre-Cana Team for 10 years. Another example of Ray’s generosity was his printing of tickets, signs, etc. for the many different fund raisers for the school, church, and Ladies of St. Anselm.
Now retired, Ray has new hobbies. He loves to cook and especially bake. He golfs 2 to 3 times a week and is waiting patiently for his wife to retire.
Father Okonski has had a profound influence on Ray and his family. Father introduced his older son to his future wife; he married both boys and has baptized all his grandchildren. Ray says, “Father Okonski was the Pied Piper of St. Anselm Parish because of his influence with the younger members of the parish.” He regards Bob Clark and Bill Fitzgerald highly because of their faith-filled example.
As a member of our Parish, Ray states, “Because of the positive experiences and the caring people I have met at St. Anselm, no matter where I live, St. Anselm will always be my home parish. Living in St. Anselm is like being part of a big family.”
Our parish is vibrant because of people like Ray whose love for God is manifested by his generosity. Happy April Fools’ Days. God bless you!