- Video shows friends honoring Ray Mish at the monthly Honor Flight breakfast
- World War II veteran Ray Mish died at 98 years old, and his friends remembered his life at the monthly Honor Flight breakfast on Thursday morning.
This memorial in Bakersfield honors the lives of the veterans who served in World War II.
One of those veterans, Ray Mish, died on Wednesday at 98 years old, leaving behind friends and family who loved him.
In a room full of veterans, one seat remains empty.
“This man was incredible, awesome," his friend, George Garcia said. "He knew everything about veterans. He loved veterans.”
Ray Mish, a World War II veteran, served in the army and frequently attended the monthly Honor Flight breakfast, sitting with his Vietnam Rat Pack family.
“That’s probably the best memory," Garcia said. "He would hang out with us Vietnam vets and he was a World War II vet.”
“Everytime I saw Ray Mish, I had to smile. It was infectious,” another friend, Rick Knight said.
Garcia tells me those smiles were often shared over regular meals together.
“He would always come to the Taco Tuesdays," he said. "Every Tuesday, he would be in the club room in the bar. He loved his tacos.”
It’s not Taco Tuesday, but his friends shared a meal on Thursday morning in his honor after saying their final goodbyes to him on Monday.
“We all went in there and gave him his final salute, and we said a prayer for him and told him we loved him.”
Mish was just days away from his 99th birthday.
“He lived a full life, almost a hundred. Yea, great guy,” Garcia said.
His funeral services are currently being arranged at St. Francis.
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