Raymond ‘Crab’ Bucy – Elizabeth

Raymond “Crab” Bucy, 77, of Elizabeth, died after a brief battle with cancer on Oct. 30, 2021. He was surrounded by his wife and three children. Ray is survived by his wife of 50 years, Kandace Bucy; daughters, Karolyn (Glenn) Del Favero of Columbia, Md., and Kimberly (Merrill) Rice of Sitka, Alaska.; son, Scott Bucy of Sitka, Alaska.; and brother, Dennis (Karen) Bucy of Glassport. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Madeline, Nicolas and Abigail Del Favero of Columbia, Md., and Matthew, Logan and Evelyn Rice of Sitka, Alaska. Ray was born on Sept. 11, 1944, in McKeesport. He graduated from Elizabeth Forward High School, where he was a standout athlete. Though he was actively recruited by multiple professional baseball teams, most notably the St. Louis Cardinals, his heart was on the football field. As luck would have it, an injury ended his college football scholarship and he stayed closer to home to attend classes at California University of Pennsylvania (Cal U). He and his daughter, Kim, were the athletes in the family and always shared that bond. Though he never completed his degree at Cal U, Kim graduated from there in 2003 with the same degree he started; it was a very proud moment for him. He served in the U.S. Army as military police from 1969-1971. It wasn’t until his illness that he shared many stories about his time in the service with his daughters. Every one of those stories involved his fellow MP and partner-in crime, Benny. It was while he was stationed at Fort Sheridan in Chicago that he met his wife, Kandy. After his discharge, they moved back to his hometown of Elizabeth, where he took a job at the mill and raised a family. He worked as a bricklayer for U.S. Steel until 1986 and then as a correctional officer for Allegheny County until his retirement in 2004. His family agrees the highlight of his life was in the summer of 2019, when he took the trip of a lifetime with his daughter, Kari and eldest grandchildren, Maddie and Matthew. The four of them spent several weeks in Europe retracing the steps of his father, George Bucy, who served in the 10th Armored Division under General George Patton during World War II. They started in Normandy and followed his dad’s path through Paris, Bastogne and Germany. They ended their trip in Garmisch on the German/Austrian border where the 10th Armored was enjoying R&R when victory was declared. Ray had a picture of the Eiffel Tower from the trip as the screen saver on his phone until the day he died. In his later years he spent much of his time in Columbia, Md. with his daughter Kari and her family. Ray was an avid history buff and spent many an hour at Kari’s house discussing history with his son-in-law, Glenn. His brother Denny called Kari’s house his happy place. During his final days it was his son, Scott, who brought him the most comfort. While he was adored by his daughters (and adored them in return) he and Scott understood each other in a way that can only be felt between father and son. Ray was preceded in death by his parents, George and Josephine Bucy, and his beloved family dog and most loyal friend, Buster. He was loved dearly by his family and will be missed beyond measure. Condolences can be sent to the homes of his daughters, Karolyn Del Favero, 8402 Glade Court, Columbia, MD 21046; or Kim Rice, 214 Lance Drive, Sitka, Alaska 99835.