Rainier Cody Veth passed away peacefully on December 19, 2019 following an extended illness.
Rainier (Ray) was born in Long Beach, CA to George and Gertrud Veth, and moved to Turlock at a young age. He attended Turlock Schools and graduated from Turlock High School in 1973. In High School he was active with the German Club, Agape Club, Ecology Club, and Concert Choir. He was also a “quirky car” enthusiast and was known for driving his 1959 Edsel Ranger Sedan, and over his life had owned over 40 unique automobiles, his favorite being a 1964 Studebaker Avanti. During and after high school he worked at Emanuel Medical Center in the kitchen/food dept., and in 1978 joined the United States Postal Service in Modesto. He worked much of his career as a letter carrier from the Paradise Station in West Modesto and retired in 2009. This allowed him time to devote to his passion of collecting license plates and Turlock memorabilia. He was an active member of the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association and was known for assembling a nearly complete thousand block sequence of 1914 California license plates. Much of the automobile literature he had collected over the years has been donated to the Modesto Graffiti Museum to establish their auto literature archive.
During his final days, Ray was surrounded by his extended family and many friends and neighbors who loved him dearly. He was known for doing whatever he could to help family and friends, whatever their needs.
Ray was preceded in death by his father, George Veth and his mother Gertrud Veth. He is survived by his brother, lngolf Veth and longtime life companion Debra Lucas.
There will be a viewing/visitation on Sunday, December 29th from lOAM-1:00 PM at Lakewood Memorial Park, 900 Santa Fe Ave, Hughson, CA 95326, followed by a Celebration of Life gathering at 2:00 PM in the Gathering Room at Hometown Buffet, 1665 Countryside Dr, Turlock, CA 95380. Private interment will take place on Monday, December 30th, nest to his parents.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to his favorite charity, The Salvation Army, PO Box 3576, Turlock, CA 95381-3576.
