Ray Benevedes Obituary

Ray Benevedes
Ray was born in Oakland, California to Emily and Manuel Benevedes, Ray Benevedes was proud of his Portuguese heritage.
When WW2 took his eldest brother Elmo, he joined the Marines. He was only 17, but told the enlisting officer he was 18. After boot camp he boarded a train headed to the front line, but the war was over before he got there. He spent the remainder of his service on a ship as a Merchant Marine, doing a tour of Japan.
Once back home to the San Francisco Bay Area, he met his future wife, Twyla at a dance. She was a professional model and a beauty queen. He often was asked to model with her. His years of working out with Jack LaLanne had paid off. They married in 1950 and had 3 children.
A favorite memory of his as a 10-year-old-child was seeing Amelia Earhart take off on her around-the-world flight attempt from the Oakland Airport in 1937.
Ray was well known in his beloved Lake County, mostly from his years in Law enforcement -- first with the city police, and then the Sheriff's Department. He continued to climb the ranks until he was elected as Sheriff in 1982. He served 2 terms as Sheriff until 1990. During his law enforcement career, Ray also trained at the FBI academy in Quantico,Virginia.
Originally Ray drove a truck and trailer for Safeway. His route was from Oakland to Crescent City with stops in Lakeport to deliver to the old Safeway store on Main Street across from the Creamery, a coffee shop. After unloading he would cross the street for a cup of coffee; he met many locals that he become life-long friends with. One of those friends convinced him to buy a house next to him sight unseen! He moved his family from San Leandro to Lakeport in the summer of 1959 to 20 acres of walnuts, with room for horses and other livestock.
Ray was a man of many talents. In High School he excelled in basketball and track. Later in life his friend talked him into snow skiing and he could water ski as well. After retirement he took up tennis and loved to put so much spin on the ball that the ball would go over the net and bounce back onto his side before his opponent could hit it. He thought that was so funny.
He enjoyed his Model T and drove it in many parades. As the head of the Sheriff's posse, Ray always rode in the Stoneyford Rodeo parade. He was also a member of the Senior Horsemen's Assoc. He and Twyla loved to RV and travelled many places to square dance. He was a member of the Elks and Rotary.
In retirement he loved coffee with his retired cop friends and playing poker. He was a familiar face at all the local casinos.
He was lucky to retain his good memory throughout his whole life, and was often asked to speak on the history of Lake County. He had a great sense of humor and was a friend to many.
Ray lived for a short while in Ukiah to be near his grandbabies but Lakeport was always dearest to his heart.
One of his proudest accomplishments was getting the new jail built during his term at Sheriff.
Last year he was honored to be the Grand Marshall of the Lake County Rodeo Association.. He passed away exactly a year later on Rodeo weekend.
Ray was pre-deceased by his wife of 70 years, Twyla and their son, Randy. He is survived by his brother, Ken of Valley Springs; daughter, Tami (Fred) of Tucson, Arizona; daughter, Stacy (Dana) of Hopland; grandchildren, Ryan ( Colleen) of Bend, Madison of Sacramento, Michelle of Texas,; plus 5 great-grandchildren in Bend and Texas.
A Celebration of Life will be held on October 11, 2025 at Medina's Watering Hole in Scotts Valley at 4:00 PM featuring his favorite cowboy music. Wear your boots or what he often wore, a Hawaiian shirt!