IN MEMORIAM Raymond Fredrick Brunsberg AKA RAYDOG

[irishwolf]

It is not customary to post in this manner but when a person contributes as much as Raydog did to OE, I think it should be allowed. And if not, then I ask for givenness. IRISHWOLF

In Memoriam of aka RayDog the passing of Raymond Fredrick Bunsberg who died of a sudden heart attack on April 23, 2023 at age 59.

Ray developed his program, which I named "Hal" and posted many hands-on OE. He contributed in other ways as well of improving the 'How to Play' tabs on OE. Don could elaborate more on that.

Ray was very flexible in taking the best tips of how hands should be played then updating and improving his program to run many simulations. He would run hands suggested (controversial hands, borderline calls, etc. etc.) by several players here on OE. Running 10,000 sometimes 100,000 hand simulations then posting the results with the calculated EV (expected values). Priceless! If you want to improve your game, read his Posts.

Ray was more than a euchre contributor. A special guy and here is his obit.

Brother Raydog rest in peace.

IRISHWOLF

OBIT.

Raymond Fredrick Brunsberg was born to Friedrich and Margit Brunsberg in Wilmington, Delaware on March 15, 1964. He attended Salesianum High School and excelled as an undergraduate at MIT, where he met his wife, Ellen. After graduating in 1986, he worked as a chemical engineer in France, Belgium, and Italy. Ray went on to earn an MBA from NYU in 1997. An aficionado of languages, Ray was fluent in French and German and had been expanding his linguistic abilities by studying Spanish.
Ray and Ellen made a wonderful life, living abroad in London, where he was a stay-at-home dad to their two incredible daughters, Rebecca and Sarah. The family traveled the world together and he visited more than 80 countries in his lifetime.
Ray was an extraordinary athlete, completing numerous triathlons, marathons, and even the Ironman World Championship in Kona. He climbed Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the southern hemisphere, and Kilimanjaro, touching the sky both literally and metaphorically.
In addition to his athletic pursuits, Ray was an avid reader, board game player, and puzzle enthusiast, with a particular love for completing every New York Times crossword and letting Ellen help him on Saturdays. Ray's passion for crosswords led to the ultimate achievement of having one of his and Ellen's puzzles published in The New York Times.
Ray was brilliant and creative when it came to solving any problem that crossed his path. He had a remarkable ability to bring order and reason to every task he undertook, whether it involved numbers, words, or the game of euchre. Math was a particular passion of his, and he never failed to delight others with a clever riddle. Although he often exuded a quiet and serious demeanor, those who knew him well will recall his sharp wit and wry sense of humor.
Ray loved his family deeply, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than spending time with his wife and daughters. He took immense pride in his daughters' accomplishments and was always their biggest supporter, cheering at sporting events and volunteering for every school trip.
Despite his many accomplishments, Ray remained humble and prioritized helping others. He tutored NYC public school students in math through the BEAM program, volunteered at the Urban Outreach Center to provide food to those in need, and swam, rode, and ran alongside athletes with disabilities through Achilles International's TriAchilles Team.
Ray is survived by his wife Ellen, his daughters Rebecca and Sarah, his sister Monique, and his stepmother Sandra. Although he has left this earth far too soon, he will live on through his kind deeds. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to one of the three charities above that Ray passionately supported.
Urban Outreach Center: https://www.uocnyc.org/donate. TriAchilles Team: https://give.achillesinternational.org/ ... n/checkout. (Please choose team TriAchilles when donating to direct funds to the group Ray was involved with.) BEAM (Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics): https://www.beammath.org/donate
There will be a memorial service on Saturday, April 29th at 2pm at NeueHouse Madison
Square (110 E 25th St, New York, NY 10010), with a reception to follow.

[Wes (aka the legend)]

Utterly tragic man. Just from the few times I hung out with him it was clear Ray was a great father, husband and human being. And of course it goes without saying he had a brilliant mind. I should've known something wasn't right cuz he comes to Vegas every March madness and I heard nothing from him this year. I will always miss him.

[Dlan]

Ray,
I never had the pleasure of meeting you in person, but I want to say thanks because you were responsible for much of the editing work on the main areas of OhioEuchre. The "Suggested Further Reading" section at the end of many pages was one of your many contributions. Although I had offered to add your name to the site, you said it was enough knowing that you were adding to the fundamental understanding of euchre.

There are no goodbyes from me. Wherever you are, you will always be part of this Euchre community.

[Tbolt65]

Ray came to las vegas for march madness and Euchre and that was the last time I saw him. It's been a depressing to know that he passed suddenly and shortly after He was in town. I wish ray and his family all the best. It was nice playing cards with you and talking Euchre.

Edward