Paulie and Ray
Raymond came into my life when I was 3 years old. He adopted me and raised me as his own, giving me all the love and support I needed to grow into the person I am today. He got me involved in baseball, hockey, soccer and football at an early age. He even coached my little league team for a couple years. He was a big man with a big laugh, a big smile and a big personality. I was the ring bearer when he married my mom. They went through a divorce ten years ago but he married a wonderful woman named Gail and adopted a whole new family which gave him two new daughters to look after. He also fostered a mentally disabled man and took care of everyone he could. He took in stray pets on the regular and I still have cats as a result of that. He has three big dogs I wouldn’t mind looking after once I get back from my travels but we’ll see how that goes.
Ray’s parents died when he was a young age which is probably why he was hyper sensitive to the needs of others, and cripes his heart was big. Raymond was ALL heart. If nothing else, he taught me how to empathize, which I’ve found to be much more important than anything I learned in school.
He worked a variety of jobs but was haunted by debt as long as I’ve known him. That didn’t stop him from giving as much of himself as possible to everyone around him. He loved sports, he loved to party and he loved to eat. Like a lot of father/son relationships, ours was based on conversations about sports and cars; Both of which I know little about but I always knew what buttons to press to get him talking. “How about them Pats? How are the Celts doing? You think the Red Sox are going to pull through this time?” And off he would go.
I hadn’t spoken with him before I left for tour. I figured I’d be able to reconnect with him once I returned. That opportunity has obviously been lost and although I can’t let myself be weighed down by guilt I do wish I could hear his voice one more time. Give him one last sweaty hug. He was very proud of me and he always made it a point to tell people what his son Paulie was doing. It makes me really happy knowing that. Although he wasn’t my biological father a lot of people in our life don’t know that. In fact, we share a great resemblance. Every time someone said I looked just like my dad he’d get loud and say, “YEAH…DUMB AND DUMBAH OVA HEAH.” Or something to that effect. Fuckin’ guy. There’s too much to explain. I just want to paint a picture of the man we all lost. The line of people coming in to pay respects didn’t stop the whole time the doors were open to the public. “He shoulda run faw Guvnah.”
My dad and I definitely had a couple rough patches over the years but the good times far outnumber the bad. He wanted me to work. He wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to be hounded by debt collectors. I remember the constant calls at dinner time. If that’s your job, go find a new one. But yeah…he wanted me to stay responsible and be on top of my shit. I did just that and although it wasn’t in a way he envisioned he was more than happy to see that I had my stuff together.
I was in an Edmonton hotel room when I checked my voice mail and got the message of his passing from his wife. Ray went to the hospital with an upset stomach and then his heart stopped. We’re still not sure what the exact cause of death is. It was sudden and unexpected. I flew home to attend the services yesterday. My girlfriend, friends and family are all doing what we can to get through this difficult time. My mom was unfortunately unavailable to attend but I know she wishes she could be there for me and for everyone else. I’d like to thank everyone for being so supportive. I wanted to give the public a better understanding of Raymond. If you met him once then it’s likely that you’ll remember him forever. He had a tough life but all we’ll be able to remember is his smile and the trademark machine-gun laugh. He was appropriately buried in a Red Sox jersey and with a can of beer. Too perfect. I love you, Dad. Thank you for everything you did for me. Rest in peace, big guy.
“Heyyyy…who’s betta than me??”
Raymond A. Landry 1959-2010
Yaw da best.
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i’m so sorry for your loss
Paulie, thank you for sharing Ray’s story.
With love,
Mendee
Well said, Sage.
Great write-up, Sage. I’m sorry for your loss, but happy that you had the chance to be so close to someone as great as you say he is.
Way to go make a guy cry, Sage.
I’d give you a hug if I could.
Paul,
I’m stricken with such sadness to hear of this. Your father is such a happy memory for me. At every North Star practice and game, I’d always hear “Hey Sa, I’ll pay you to get me a coffee”. I think I must have gotten about 50 coffees for him! What a great guy and what a huge loss. I’m so sorry….for all of us.
Sincerely,
Sarah
Sorry for your loss Sage. Good to see that you took some time to reflect and remember the significant part he played in your Li(f)e. If only all of us could be so lucky to live to be that old.
It seems as though he gave his heart out to everyone until his heart gave out on him. Tis a shame. He sounds like a wonderful man. I’m really sorry for your loss.
Rest in peace, good sir!
Very sorry to here about your loss Paul, but thanks for sharing with us all. No one really dies as long as we keep them alive in our hearts and minds.
Kia Kaha (be strong)
I know what it’s like to lose a father, paternal or not. I lost mine when he turned 50, I was 21. It sucks man. All I can say is that I hope you like getting apologies, because for some weird reason, no one knows what to say to someone when someone close dies, so they just revert to default apology mode. I wish you all the best. The new album is AMAZING!
i dont know if the words of a single fan will affect you deeply in any way, shape, or form, but nonetheless, regardless of the fact that i know very little about your father, i can ensure that he was a great human being. understandably, it is important to realize that li(f)e is fleeting. accordingly, the only opportunity to make any purpose is to find moments of happiness and be happy. not pleasure. but happiness.
i hope that his and your lives are imbued with happiness.
R.I.P.
You are admirably strong… Respect. – C
im so sorry Paul i cant imagine something like that happening so quickly… i wish u luck with the new madness you have encountered and i truly mean it when i say the human race has lost another precious individual because he raised you… and i thank him for that and he was a good man for doing everything you say he did… i wish him luck in the other realms. I send my love to you and your family and if i dont see you on the 6th for your concert i understand i wont be mad to have lost a ticket for you have lost more than i can imagine.
My heart goes out to you, Sage.
It took all my will to hold it together at the end of the Seattle show… I figured if you saw someone lose it up front, it might send you over the edge too, and I wanted you to be able to finish the song and get to the airport before it got any later.
Thank you for even playing the Seattle show, I think everyone would have understood if you skipped it. I don’t think anyone was upset at the shortened setlist either.
Chin up, and remember the good times. The best of times.
Ah, Ray. What a happy daddy. He was so friggen proud of you, Paulie. I’ll never forget how much his massive smile grew when you were around. He loved you so much. It was no secret either, hah. He told everyone. I’m lucky enough to have heard him talk about his boy quite a bit in the time we spent together. I’ll definitely miss Ray and his sweaty hugs a lot. There’s a lot to miss.
Your poppa left some seriously great memories.
Love you, Ray.
Love you, Paulie.
“Ay, Paulay! Pick up the phone, Paulay! It’s Dad. Whaddia takin a showa? Wake up, Paulay!”
My condolences, he sounded like one heck of a guy. I think we should all hope to leave that kind of lasting impression when we pass.
that couldn’t have been easy to write but it was an amazing tribute to someone that meant a lot to you. lost my father when i was 13 and reading that brought back some memories. connections made in life that strongly are never broken or forgotten. sorry for your loss but i guess li(f)e goes on….oddly enough. keep your head up on tour, you know he’s proud of you.
love the new album and the boston show was incredible. thanks for all the inspiration.
I’m sorry for your loss, Sage. I love the photo you post at the beginning of your entry. You did a great job painting a picture of the man who raised you. I’m sure he’s proud of that!
I’m glad you have a good support system. You know your fans are always here for you.
Hang in there! Have a good rest of your tour!
I’m quite proud to admit that I’ve seen a number of therapists in my lifetime. I suppose they all had something to offer me, maybe not in the way they intended, but…I’ve found in the five years I’ve been atteding therapy more often than I’d have liked, I’ve found only one that has had any empathy, and she remains with me today. True empathy is a quality very few people have, and fewer still are able to learn. It’s true, empathy will serve you better than most of what you learned in school. To be able to empathize is to feel human life in all it’s forms.
Raymond sounds like a man we all want to be. Taking his lessons and carrying them on in your life is the best way to honour him, and seems like what he’d want from his much extended family.
Yes!!! You sure as hell should take those dogs! You’ll get so much more out of them as well, you can’t even imagine it. They need a home, and yours is there for the taking…;)
I am so sorry for your loss, I’m a local girl from pawtucket,
I heard you on 95.5 bru tonight and was so like, whoa, that’s my boy, Sage!! I’ve been a fan for at least a decade, i wish your dad would have been able to hear you like that, on his own local station, nothing underground about it! You done good, real good!! My thoughts are with you.
Thank you for your words, Sage. You’re a helluva lot stronger than most of us. Keep your head up. Stay strong. And as my grandpa would say to anyone yet to read this… “Stiff Upper Lip” (sounds like a song in here somewhere…lol) Stay safe on the rest of your tour! Thank you for Seattle! R.I.P. RAY! Thank you again brother, for ur openness to your fans. Thank you.
P.s brother-
I met you before you got in ur cab for Sea-tac after show in seattle. I wanted to thank you for shaking my hand and
listening to me tell u how much I enjoy you. But I also want to apologize for ANY inconvenience… I just wanted to thank you for the inspiration you’ve given me (espicially in hard times) And I think I may have been in a world that was “self serving, just like this is”. Anyways. Thank you, Sage!!!
Sage, Raymond sounds like a truly wonderful man. I’m sorry for your loss. Keep carrying the fire…….
A touching tribute.
Keep on keeping on.
Sage, Im sorry for your loss. Its like you’re telling my story right now, except mine was biological and when I was 9. I remember how the church was packed. People saying their goodbyes. Your story brought it all back. I wish the good guys never had to die…
And for the record paul, YOU ARE THE BEST. There is no one that can hold a candle to you…
wow, u painted a very great picture of the man u called dad! so sorry for your loss. my dad died very unexpectedly 10 years ago, i also hadn’t talked to him a few times, when i should have, before he died. i did many destructive things in my pain and guilt over his death and really have just begun to come out of the fog i put myself into. don’t let that be you! use his death to celebrate his life and to better yourself, please. and take care.
sincerly
joel
Paul – Your dad was such a great man. He was so proud of you. Every time I was over the house he talked about you and his smile was huge. He brought my sister back. They were so good for each other. I know he touched alot of people, but never knew how many until I saw the none stop line at the wake and and the line of cars to the cemetary. You mean alot to Gail. Thanks for being there for her. Take care of yourself………….oh he tried giving me the cat you have now…..hahahaha……….Love ya!!!!
Thanks for sharing, Sage. I’m so sorry. Hope I can give you a big hug soon.
Paulie,
I laughed, I cried – what a tribute — Thanks Paul – his memory will live on through you and all the Landry’s. Hugs & kisses from the Landry’s (if you haven’t received enough hugs over the last few days — you know where to get more!)
He was so proud of you.
Hi Sage,
I worked with your Dad at Automart for a long time, he talked about you all the time, with his big smile and chewing his gum, I am glad I got the chance to meet you but I wish It could of been for different reasons. The article is beautiful keep on making him proud may he R.I.P!!! Truly Patty
I met Ray through my sister and my memory of him is a big smile. He was always smiling. He was very proud of you.
What a blessing to have had such a Dad. You wrote such a great tribute to him he would be so proud. Take care of yourself.
Hi Paul,
Your words were so profound.
Your Dad would be so proud without a doubt. It made me cry.
I left you a voicemail on Friday morning. I will call you again soon, if that is alright.
Stay safe, Paul and keep making your Dad proud!
Love you……………Gail
I’m sorry to hear the bad news Sage. I know the feeling of losing parents, I have none myself and its often hard times. I am happy to hear you were lucky enough to have him in your life and from your stories you can be sure I will remember Ray as the man who helped bring us one of the most caring people Sage. If it wasnt for people like Ray, people like Sage wouldnt exist. If it wasnt for people like Sage the world would be a much colder place.
Sounds like a special guy. Sorry for your loss. Sage you give the same gift as Ray. You make others around you quite happy and fullfilled. I was so happy to meet you in Edmonton. Take care my friend.
Sorry about losing your dad, he was a great guy and I’m glad I got to hang out with him for a while back in the day.
So sorry for your loss! We missed you greatly in Portland but this was obviously a reason to skip us over. I hope time and spending the short amount of time you had to spend with friends and family will help to heal the wounds, or begin anyways. If you make it back to Portland we would all be thrilled! (or I would anyway) but if it doesn’t fit in we’ll see you on the flip side. Take care of yourself!
So Sorry to hear about this, man. I lost my beloved Uncle Buck last summer under circumstances not entirely dissimilar.. and we STILL don’t know how he died of a glorified stomach-ache (even though there were further underlying problems in his case.)
Nobody can ever ask right, my friend, and nobody is ever ready. You’ve got people putting love your direction all over the place, and we all want you to remember that.
So so sorry to hear about this Sage. No doubt he would be so proud of everything you’ve done.
Paul
I’m really sorry to hear about Ray…I’ll always remember him throwing batting practice back in the day at Pacheco… I bumped into him a couple times over the years and he always would say, “Ya hear what Paulie’s doin!!” His eyes would light up!! He was definitely proud!! He was such a good man!! Stay strong brother…and keep kickin’ ass!! Your in my thoughts
Dan and I want to send our sincere sympathy on the loss of
your Dad Ray. He was an amazing man. We always remember
him cheering you on at the Little League games.
Stefan just played your video to Dan and I – “The Best of Times”
It is amazing. You are a genuine poet to be heard. May
you keep on keepin’ on. All the best to you and yours.
Sincerely
Dan and June
from NS
sorry for you loss Sage. I know It must be hard. keep fighting the good fight. your music is really touching, all of it. Love Ya Sage Peace dude
Sage,
I had no idea-i saw you at the show last night in Dallas walking around-I’s the guy in the green shirt with nothin to say cuz seeing my favorite artist on the street was like seeing a ghost in broad daylight!
Anyway, i wanna say that i went through something VERY similar but what difference does it make? it doesn’t help-i was 18…8 years have passed and it still hurts. I hope you carry him with you every day. Keep those thoughts man-you don’t ever wanna lose ‘em. Seems like li(f)e never stops bringin on lessons huh…just another thing to learn…”how to lose a father without losing your mind…writtin by Li(f)e” right? yeah, whatever…
Anyway, for what its worth, your music carried me through losing my father-i hope you have someone to help you as well.
Ian Stevens. Dallas thanks you for comin out-i know we aren’t your biggest fan base-but we’re loyal fans! Show was AMAZING! and thanks for signing the record homie!!
Sorry for you loss, it is hard losing loved ones whenit is unexpected. Mckinley and I have both experienced it recently. Losing Fam. We all learn from our loved ones leaving…… To stick with our goals and stick with the people who mean the most to us in Li(f)e. Your fans especially us… Love your lyrics and devotion. Peace, Respect and Love.
Mckinley and Nick
so sorry sage, you always will be my hero
I wish I could give you a hug. I’m calling my dad right now. Love you!
He was such an awesome guy! We all miss him! Sorry for your loss Paul!
Sage I’m sorry for your loss… My father who was not my biological father died kinda the same way. He went to the hospital with some pain and 32 hours later he left this Li(f)e. He was 51 and cool breeze flowin through this world and I miss him. Again, sorry for your loss bro.
i am so sorry for your lost paul,your dad must have been a very wonderful man:)
sorry for you loss brother..
Am so sorry for your loss Paul as i was reading brought a tear (or many as the case may be) to my eyes had a similar loss in february (grandad) and may two years ago, still to this day not knowing what happened as i wasn’t allowed to attend the funeral due to family wanting to keep it to family (at least i got to speak to him before it happened though just narrowly) but i was never ashamed of him no matter what narrow minded people said keep up the good stuff as it inspires me to be greater than i am, hoping one day i’ll get to see you perform but can’t travel for tours as trying to care for my Mum, just wish i could express my emotions like you do instead of constantly appearing something i’m not. Peace Love and Respect