Nancy Fisse's remarks to those gathered on Saturday, December 15, to celebrate Ray's life.
Welcome, welcome, welcome and thank you, thank you, thank you for being here!
I am Nancy, Ray’s beloved partner, or Fisse, as he affectionately called me.
Ray loved nothing better than a GREAT Ekone gathering, so I have no doubt that he is with us here today.
Ray’s mission in life was very simple – to save the Earth! In his own words, "the earth is sacred – no compromise!" He created Ekone Ranch 35 years ago with this as his guiding principle. Our land trust, Sacred Earth Foundation, has, over the years, amassed over 1300 acres of beautiful pine and oak forest and canyon lands.
Ray opened his heart and hearth to countless numbers of people who have come to Ekone. He worked tirelessly with enthusiasm and joy to make Ekone available to his tribe and all the critters. He fiercely loved his people, many of whom are here today, the animals and the land!
Living at Ekone simply means doing the 10,000 things . . . on a daily basis! Ray always gave 110%. He never begrudged the tiniest thing – he just did it!
For the past 20 summers, Ray has hosted a multitude of children at the Waldorf, Hyla and Ekone summer horse camps. He knew that some day he would pass Ekone on to them, their children and their grandchildren. Many of them instinctively understood this. Ray had an endless capacity for sharing his love of the horses and the land with the children and their families, making their experiences here just that much more special.
Anyone who has spent any time here knows about Ekone magic. Miracles abound here. One day as we were about to pour a concrete floor for our shop building, Vibrance’s birth father, Brian, suddenly appeared. He made a few crucial adjustments to the preparations that ensured a successful outcome.
The day we knew we must put our beloved dog, Tatanka, down, Jennifer, an Ekone camper turned veterinarian, showed up and skillfully and tenderly eased Tatanka’s transition.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW? Ekone is my home and also that of for Jade and Bob and Chris, and we are committed to caring for the land and animals here.
Along with Liz, Caitlin, Ben (our son), Shonie, Logan, Sykie, Leslie, Taylor, Hannah and others, we are planning a glorious 2008 summer camp season!
The members of the Sacred Earth Foundation board of directors – David, Tim, Dr. Bob, Vibrance, Caitlin, Liz and myself – will keep the affairs of Ekone in order. Ray’s dreams and visions for Ekone will continue to be realized!
I am so grateful and honored to have lived side by side with Ray. For me, he is just that: a ray, a beam of light. Every moment of every day I felt loved and cherished by him. He was patient and kind, always finding ways to help me by anticipating my needs by taking on extra chores, or by checking in with me and asking, "what can I do to help you?" Every day he gave me his smiles and words of appreciation.
Ray and I so love our children: Vibrance, Ben and Carol, and our granddaughters, Jeanie and Vonnie.
In closing, I encourage each and every one of you to give your 110% in caring for each other and our beautiful planet.
And . . . remember: THE WINDS OF HEAVEN BLOW THROUGH THE MANE AND TAIL OF A HORSE!
I love you, Nancy Fisse
