Raymond Vance Brockie

Raymond Vance Brockie departed this life suddenly on September 27, 2023, at the age of 71. Born to parents Raymond and Mary Helen Brockie, Ray was the youngest of four children, raised in Plainfield, Illinois, and known by his family and friends as Vance. Throughout his high school years he played football and wrestled as well as owned and worked on cars and motorcycles. After high school, he earned an Associate Degree in Applied Science Mechanical Design Technology from Joliet Junior College and studied secondary education at Northern Illinois University.

In 1975 he married his first wife, Penny, and together they moved to Texas where they both continued to live until their passing. Ray worked as an engineer at several firms. His work included Frito Lay where in 1983 he, with two others, invented and patented a device for cutting continuous logs of dough. Ray also designed and built a device for the restaurant and bar industry for sterilizing drinking glasses. Ray went on to work at BAE Automated Systems, a baggage conveyor firm and was responsible for overseeing the Denver International Airport baggage conveyor system installation. After leaving BAE, Ray went on to own and operate several businesses. WoodRX was his construction and remodeling company, and he also made beautiful custom furniture. Later he was the owner and certified instructor of Moto-Ed, a motorcycle safety course, required by the state for those wanting a motorcycle license endorsement. Ray was also a certified CPR/AED instructor, certified driver education instructor, held a commercial driver license endorsement and drove a school bus for both HEB and BISD. In 2018, while driving a school bus, Ray saved a man’s life by administering CPR after he suffered a heart attack.

Ray had a lifetime love of motorcycling, having enjoyed many challenging rides throughout the United States and Mexico, served as a moto-marshal for the Altoona Bicycle Race for over a decade, and was a professional motorcycle racer with many wins and high-class rankings. He was an accomplished bicyclist, skier, wood worker, mechanic, and overall "gear head". He enjoyed riding his side by side, camping, and the outdoors.

Ray was a Master Mason, endowed at Richland Hills Lodge 1348 A.F. & A.M. and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, serving as Associate Patron, and Worthy Patron at Richland Hills #1040 and Grapevine #326.

Ray’s greatest blessing was his daughter Katie. Of all his accomplishments, what Ray loved most was being a father and grandpa. He spent his last two decades living life with his partner Christine, with whom he shared many motorcycle and side by side adventures, road trips, and service to the Order of the Eastern Star. They have shared life’s sorrows and celebrated precious moments – their children’s joys and successes, grandchildren, and friends

He is survived by his daughter Katie Colvin, his grandchildren Kayla and Tyler Colvin, two sisters, Candy Miller and Mary Rhodes, nieces and nephews, his partner Christine Loven and her daughter and family Amanda and Raphael Ortiz, "Little R", and many friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages a donation in Ray's name to a charity of choice - some recommendations include the Order of the Eastern Star Patriot Paws (Service Dogs), Shriners Hospital for Children, organizations for the promotion of education for youths, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation https://www.tpwf.org/ and Scottish Rite for Children at https://scottishriteforchildren.org/ , cancer and autism research and cure.

A Celebration of Life will be conducted November 1, 2023, at Colleyville Center, 5301 Riverwalk Drive, Colleyville, TX 76034, at 6:00 p.m.