SAN ANTONIO – An overflow crowd of mourners filled the Church of the Blessed Sacrament on Thursday to pay final respects to State District Judge Ray Olivarri, 64, who died last week following a lengthy battle with cancer.
“He was tough when he had to be,” said family friend and attorney Joseph Aguilera. “And if giving somebody a second chance came across as not being tough, he dealt with it.”
Judge Ray Olivarri dies after long battle with cancer
“His goal was how to truly help a person, to do justice,” said Fr. Chris Munoz during the funeral mass.
“His passion was to help others,” Munoz said as he remembered Olivarri as a man who always put others first - a man who truly loved his family.
During the service, Administrative District Judge Ron Rangel presented the family with a state seal, noting that a component in the seal reflected his friend, Judge Olivarri.
Friends, family gather to remember Judge Ray Olivarri; Funeral to be held Thursday
“There’s an olive branch that represents peace," Rangel said. “What more peace can you get than to come across an individual that’s got compassion, love in his heart, and wants to make the world a better place?”