Obituary of Raymond E. Gliha

Raymond E. Gliha, passed away peacefully at his home in Manchester on Monday 08/14/23.  Raymond was born December 23, 1959 and was a lifelong Manchester resident.  Ray was predeceased by his father Fred Frank Gliha Sr. and his mother Alma Mercer Gliha.

 As a young boy, the family took several long road trip vacations to PA, FL and out west in their Buick station wagon. With their mom in the front doling out Koolaid and bologna sandwich, the four boys were in the back causing all kinds of mayhem. Ray was witty and had a way with words. He would often write a poem or limerick for birthday and anniversary celebrations. He was the life of the party and would often break out in song, especially to any Marshall Tucker tune.

 Ray’s passion was baseball and he starred on many teams.  Living within steps of Buckley School, he spent his spring and summers on the baseball field.  He was an avid Red Sox fan and he passed his love for baseball onto his nieces and nephews. 

 Ray excelled at baseball during his career at ECSU.  Ray was a walk-on Freshman with an average of .375 his freshman year.   During his career at ECSU, Ray batted .345 with 212 hits, 20 home runs and 161 RBI’s in his 175 game career.  He was a full-time starter who played all three outfield positions and DH on four NCAA Division III post season baseball teams.  He tied a national record with six hits in one game.  In Ray’s senior year, 1982, he played center field, batted .395 and had 7 home runs and 47 RBI’s.  He was tri-captain that year and named 3rd team NCAA Division III All-American and team MVP.  He went on to play in the NCAA Division III National Championship game in Marietta, Ohio, where ECSU won the championship.   In the tournament, Ray scored the go-ahead run in two games, that provided ECSU with a thrilling 9-8 win over Cal State Stanislaus with a bases loaded single and two outs in the bottom of the 12th.  What a game! Ray was so happy to have had his mom and brother watching every one of those games from the stands. For many years following his college career, he played in the Twilight baseball league for Moriarty Bros./Newman Bros. Ray was inducted into the ECSU Hall of Fame in 2002. He enjoyed his years playing baseball and accumulated numerous life-long friends.

 Ray is survived by his three older brothers and their spouses: Fred F. (Karen), Dennis (Linda), Paul (Michele) and a sister-in-law Kathy.  He leaves behind several nieces and nephews: Ryan (Danielle), Jaime (Patrick) Sullivan, Nissa (Chris) Fiano, Kimmy (Ryan) Mullens, Shawn (Chelsea) Gliha, Ben Gliha, and Christopher (Raelene) Gliha. He has many grand nieces and nephews: Alivia, Addison, Everly, Lyla, Peyton, Brady, Scarlett, Violet, Vienna, Rylee, Jackson, Olly and Thea, along with his Uncle Wallace Mercer. He also leaves behind his soul mate and the love of his life, Ruth Wassik and her son James Stone. He also left many cousins and friends who he thought of as family.

Funeral Service will be at Tierney Funeral Home on Wednesday August 23, 2023.  Calling Hours 10-12 – Memorial Service 12-1PM.  Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family.  Memorial contributions may be made to Manchester Area Conference of Churches at P.O. Box 3804, Manchester, CT 06045-3804 or www.macc-ct.org.  For online condolences please visit www.tierneyfuneralhome.com. 

CLICK TO VIEW LIVESTREAM FUNERAL SERVICE