Ray Canonizado Mata

Ray Canonizado Mata, age 78 of Fairfield, beloved husband of 47 years of Josefa (Madrid) Mata, passed away Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at Bridgeport Hospital. Born in Manila, Philippines September 30, 1938 the son of the late Marciano and Amrafel Mata, he married the love of his life, Josefa, on December 22, 1969 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Quezon City, Philippines. They moved to the United States to begin their family in 1970, living first in New Jersey, then settling in Connecticut where their children were born and raised, and where he lived the remainder of his life. Ray, Josefa, and his family loved to travel. One of his life goals was to visit all 50 states which he achieved in 2015 when he traveled to Alaska. Ray received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Pharmacy from the University of the Philippines and a B.S in Chemical Engineering from the Technological Institute of the Philippines. He was proud of his service in the ROTC through the University of Santo Tomas and was an active member of the Tau Alpha Fraternity at the University of the Philippines. In the United States, Ray worked first at McKesson Laboratories, then Vitramon, Branson Ultrasonics, finally retiring as Health Inspector for the City of New Haven. In addition to his loving wife Josefa, Ray is survived by his son Ray J. Mata and his wife Kat , and daughters Michelle Nophsker and her husband Jason, Christine Eckel and her husband Scott, and Anna Charles and her husband Antoine. He was blessed with his grandchildren Madison and Kayla Nophsker, Eva and Ethan Eckel, and Aria Charles, two half sisters, Lodi Mata- deOcampo and Leni Mata Sunico as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother and sister-in-law, Roberto and Nina Mata. Ray will be remembered for his unfailing commitment and love for his wife, family, and friends, his strong faith, his love of learning, and his wonderful sense of humor. His infectious laugh and jokes always filled the room with joyful spirit. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, February 27, 2017 at 10:00 AM meeting directly at Holy Family Church. Entombment will follow in St. Monica Mausoleum at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Trumbull. A visitation will be held Sunday from 3-7 PM in the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Holy Family Church, 700 Old Stratfield Rd., Fairfield, CT 06825, or to your local public library. For information or to sign an online guest register please visit www.SpearMillerFuneralHome.com