Raymond Warren Rishel

Raymond “Ray” Warren Rishel, 91, passed away peacefully Saturday, July 10, 2021 in Lexington, Kentucky. Ray was a family man with 4 children, and 10 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Mildred “Midge”. Ray is survived by a loving family: Penny Sengstacken (Bob) of Montvale, New Jersey; Natalie Jones (Neil) of Dallas, Texas; Bruce Rishel (Jessica) of Lexington, Kentucky; Eddy Rishel (Amey) of Atlanta, Georgia; and grandchildren; Aimee, Austin, Trent (Alana), Shannon, Gavin, Daniel, Morgan, Anemone, Alex and Olivia.

A celebration of his life will be held via Zoom Wednesday at 11:00am Eastern.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Sanders Brown Center on Aging &  Alzheimers  or Bluegrass Care Navigators (Hospice).

With one brother, Austin, 5 years older, Ray was born June 27, 1930 to Thora “Da” Maren Rishel and Raymond Heinstorf Rishel in small town Phillips, Wisconsin.  The farm and home had no running water or electricity until later in his childhood. He graduated high school in 1948 and from University of Wisconsin - Madison with a degree in Mathematics in 1952.  After serving his country in the Army, Ray returned to UW Madison and completed his doctorate in Mathematics on the G.I. Bill.

Dr. Rishel’s first position after school was in the Department of Aerospace at Boeing in Seattle, Washington.  While exploring the great Pacific Northwest, Ray met Midge. Both Midge and Ray enjoyed the outdoors and loved living in Seattle.  Ray especially enjoyed mountaineering, hiking, fishing, camping, and snow skiing. Ray often talked about how he summited Mount St. Helens twice before the volcanic mountain erupted. He also caught the 3^rd largest salmon registered one day in Puget Sound.

Ray and family moved to New Jersey where he worked at the prestigious Bell Labs. After 3 years, Ray decided to pursue academics and research as a Professor of Mathematics in Operations Research at the University of Kentucky, where he remained until retirement.

You can still find Ray on Amazon if you’re interested in Deterministic and Stochastic Optimal Control (Stochastic Modelling and Applied Probability) Applications in Mathematics textbook that he co-authored with Wendell H. Fleming, available for only $180 dollars. ;)

Kentucky offered Ray many opportunities with his family. He was an avid participant in many bridge and hiking groups. He enjoyed waterskiing and spent much time in the summers at Lake Cumberland on their houseboat. Ray and Midge were members of Hunter Presbyterian Church.

Ray would certainly want to give his regards, thanks and love to family, friends and acquaintances for making his life so full!