Ray Lovato Memorial - Rock Springs WY - Citizen Memorials on Waymarking.com

Text from the plaque reads as follows:

In memory of Ray Lovato
1946-2000
"How are you going to get things fixed"

Only once in a generation, there comes a person so remarkable that he impacts an entire community and deeply touches the lives of all who knew him. For Rock Springs, Wyoming, Ray Lovato was such a person.

Ray was born in 1946 and grew up in several small railroad and mining towns including Superior in southwest Wyoming. He attended high school in Rock Springs and went to the University of Wyoming. After serving in the U.S. Army, he returned to Rock Springs and went to work for the city in 1975.
As the Director of the city's Housing and Community Development Office, Ray wrote millions of dollars in grants for low income housing development. Helping people less fortunate was only part of Ray's life.

He was actively involved in many organizations and efforts aimed at making Rock Springs and Sweetwater County a better place to live. Ray was either a leader or a quiet hard worker in the background - whatever the job demanded.

Without Ray's efforts, the Historical Museum would likely not exist as it is today. He wrote the Abandoned Mines Lands Grant to fund the building's renovations and then worked nights and weekends on his own time, often spending his own money, to help get the museum ready for dedication in 1988.
He had a vision and a dream for the community. His energy had no limits. He always had time to listen and lend a hand. His warmth, laughter and infectious smile were contagious. He asked nothing for himself but gave to those around him.

Each man is born with a skill,
If this skill is practiced,
It becomes a talent,
When this talent is shared with others,
It becomes a gift.

Ray passed away in August 2000 and left a legacy that will not be forgotten nor replaced. We thank you, Ray, for your gifts and your life.



Ray also wrote grants for the South Main Beautification, renovations of the train depot, Community Development Block Grant for Southwest Counseling's residential treatment project. He had been a member of the following boards, commissions, groups, organizations, and the list goes on and on:

Tripartite
Sweetwater County Board of Tourism
Salvation Army
Downtown Advisory Committee
Rock Springs Historical Foundation
United Way
Retailers Committee
Schools to Careers
Children's Discovery Committee
Child Development Center
Tracks Across Wyoming
Miner's Statue
Food Bank
YWCA Safe House Domestic Violence Center
RECO (Recycling & Environmental Coalition)
Historic Preservation
Sweetwater Economic Development Association
Trona Capital
American Disabilities
Interagency Coordination Council
Senior Citizens Board
BLM's National Historic Trails
Community Development Committee

Location: 200 block of B Street in downtown Rock Springs, WY Website with more information on either the memorial or the person(s) it is dedicated to: Not listed

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