JOINER JR., Curtis Ray
April 18, 1944 - January 8, 2018
Curtis Ray Joiner, Jr., 73, beloved son, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, colleague, teacher, and mentor, passed from this life at his home in Alhambra, very unexpectedly and far too soon. He was born in St. Louis MO; he grew up there and in Van Nuys, CA. A graduate of Louisiana State University (LSU) in French, German, and secondary education, he was selected as an alternate for a Rhodes Scholarship from Louisiana and studied at Freiburg University in Germany on a D.A.A.D. scholarship. He then entered the graduate program in French as a student and teaching assistant at UCLA where he received a Master’s degree and completed course work for a PhD. He taught in the Pasadena Unified School District for 34 years at John Muir H.S., Blair H.S., and Marshall Fundamental School, where he coordinated the English as a Second Language program in his final years, retiring in 2005.
Ray had a number of avocations at which he excelled. He not only raced bicycles competitively and rode long distances (in 1979 he rode from Seattle to L.A.) but also taught bicycle safety and mentored young riders at the Encino Velodrome. Later, he worked as a motorcycle official at bicycle races. Motorcycling was one of his great loves, and, at age 73, he still owned 4 motorcycles. He mentored young students on off-road motorcycles. Later, he worked for a funeral escort company, riding his Kawasaki police motorcycle to manage funeral processions in traffic and at speeds which required heart and skill. In the 1970’s, Ray and his wife bought a 1964 Mooney 4-seater airplane after becoming licensed pilots. They made trips around the U.S. and were always willing to give rides to friends and relatives.
Ray learned to play the trumpet growing up and played in a number of bands, including the LSU marching band, the “Golden Band from Tiger Land.” In 1962 he marched in front of the UCLA band in the Rose Parade as one of 15 herald trumpeters from area high schools. His lifelong love of music culminated in his enjoyment of the L.A. Master Chorale, the L.A. Opera, and the L.A. Phil during his retirement.
Chess was a lifelong interest. Ray mentored a chess club for quite a few years at Marshall (https://youtu. be/2OIHp4UluiI). When he retired, he continued this chess club and started clubs in elementary schools where his initial volunteering was reading aloud weekly to fifth graders. He was dedicated to his volunteer work and soon was reading to all fifth grade classes at Field and Sierra Madre Elementary Schools. Many of these fifth-graders matriculated at Sierra Madre Middle School where he started his 4th chess club. From 2005 through 2017 he was the chess teacher at the Pasadena Educational Foundation (PEF) summer school. To manage the challenge of having third graders through eighth graders in a classroom, he used a high school student volunteer from his Marshall chess club; thus a volunteer program at PEF summer school was born. In 2017, PEF and Ray Joiner won a competitive volunteer development grant, the Halo Award (HALOawards.org), from the Carl and Roberta Deutsch Foundation.
Ray is survived by his step-mother, Lois Joiner of Las Cruces, NM, sister, Kay Joiner and her husband, Jim Nosari, of Little Rock, AR, his nieces, Courtney Nosari-Wall and her husband, Eric, of Little Rock, AR, and Kelly Nosari of Aspen, CO, as well as great-niece, Clara Wall, and great-nephew, James Wall. In addition, he is survived by step-brother Scott White (Diana) of Las Cruces, NM, and step-sisters, Dale Keister (Bryon) of Simi Valley, CA, and Joy Clickener of Las Cruces, NM, 5 step-nieces and 6 step-nephews, and 21 cousins who live in 9 states. Ray enjoyed keeping in touch with all family through the years. He was predeceased by his mother, Hilda Kohler Joiner of Baton Rouge, LA, his father, Curtis Ray Joiner, Sr. of Las Cruces, NM, and his step-brother, Peter White.
A celebration of Ray’s life will be held in the chapel of All Saints Episcopal Church, 132 N. Euclid Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101 on March 10, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to Pasadena Educational Foundation, 351 S. Hudson Ave. #153, Pasadena, CA 91101, (626) 396-3625.