Raymond Thomas Callihan

Raymond Thomas Callihan, 77, of North Versailles, formerly of Murrysville, was peacefully called to the Lord, with family by his bedside, on Saturday, February 5, 2022. He was preceded in death by his loving parents, Andrew J. E. and Leona May (Milligan) Callihan, and his dear sister, Linda Bates. 

Whether it was "Ray" or "Tom "or "Tommy", however you may know him, he was born on March 4, 1944, in Mount Pleasant, PA, grew up in Murrysville, became a resident of South Park for many years, and later in life joined Point Pleasant, a retirement community he was proud to call home.   Ray graduated from Franklin Regional High School in 1962.  He began work as a draftsman at the Murrysville Telephone Company.  He then joined Westinghouse and moved to Parsippany, NJ with his young family. Ray and family lived in Zelionople before returning to Pittsburgh, where he continued with Westinghouse as a draftsman and member of the Transportation group for the next 48 years.  

Ray’s primary contributions and focus during his career was designing printed circuit boards for automated rapid transit systems known as People Movers. He was one of a team of draftsmen who successfully transitioned from hand drafting to Computer Aided Design (CAD). He took tremendous pride in his work and in the People Mover installations all over the world. Ray was a mentor to many who worked with him and developed an amazing number of lifelong friends. He referred to these friends as his second family, and the stories they all have to share are endless and touching.  In 2013, Ray retired with the well-earned and respected title of Senior Lead Electrical Printed Circuit Board Designer. (Way to go Pops!)

Ray had many talents and interests.  He was a lifelong car enthusiast and collector of model cars. Taking a drive in a clean car soothed his spirit. He enjoyed Nascar if Jeff Gordon was winning. Ray created beautiful pieces of leathercraft, he enjoyed photography, painting and shopping for fun stuff and gadgets.  He was an avid coin collector and loved the sound of those coins in his pockets.  He transitioned from the era of camcorders to the era of smart phones with ease. He was a tech savvy senior who texted, face-timed, and cherished his apps—he got the biggest kick from asking Siri questions. Ray loved gold, the American Bald Eagle, the color red and chocolate. 

Ray was kind-hearted, caring and above all, he loved his family.  He will be deeply missed by his three sons and their wives, Ray (Sue) Callihan, Dean (Denise) Callihan, and Glenn (Diane) Callihan; and by his amazing grandchildren, Bethany Callihan, Jamie (Andrew) Doyle, and David Callihan; former spouse, friend and mother of his children, Sylvia “Toni” Dunmyre.  He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Jeff Bates; his niece, Amy (Jason) Hill; his nephew, Clinton (Karen) Bates, and many dear cousins, family and friends.   From the 1950’s to his final days, Ray possessed and found ways to display his own touch of style and class. He will be deeply missed.

Visitation is from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Hart Funeral Home, Inc., Murrysville. A Funeral Service will be 11 a.m. Friday in the funeral home. Entombment will follow at Twin Valley Memorial Park, Delmont.  Memorial Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Patient Advocacy Network (www.panfoundation.org). Notifications can be sent to callihan.rtcd@gmail.com. 

The family wish to extend their heartfelt appreciation to his caring team:  Comfort Keepers caregivers, Diane and Meg, and AHN Healthcare @ Home Hospice nurse Christa and crew.  You provided “your Ray” with nearly 2 years of peace, comfort, daily laughter, smiles and friendship. He felt blessed and was extremely grateful for “his team”.  We also wish to thank all of those staff at Point Pleasant who developed such deep friendships and connections with our Dad over the past 8 years. www.hartfuneralhomeinc.com