Obituary
Raymond Ceaser Nutini Sr. of Portland, Oregon
Raymond Ceaser Nutini Sr. recently passed away at 96 years old due to multiple complications. He is survived by his son, Raymond Ceaser Nutini Jr., and his grandson, Johnathan Alexander Nutini. He met his 2nd son later in life, Randy Dahl, who has 5 kids and 13 grandchildren. Randy’s children and grandchildren’s names are as follows; Christopher Dahl: Gabriel, Raphael, Ariel, Lilly, and Asher Dahl. Elizabeth “Babette” Helindi: Lucca Helindi. Michael Dahl: Mia and Emily Dahl. Jeremiah Dahl: Benjamin Dahl. Samuel Dahl: Giana and Aava Dahl. Raymond Sr. is also preceded by his first wife, Mildred Nutini, and second wife, Constance Presentin-Nutini, his first child, his daughter, Lana, who sadly passed away at only 2 days old, and also a stepdaughter, Laura Leveni.
Raymond was born in Chicago, IL. In his period of time growing up, the Italian mafia was present for protection money. His father, Cesar Nutini, was a bread maker, and refused to pay the protection money, so he was beaten up by the mafia. His mother, Georgina, decided to take him back to old country, Lucca, Italy, until he was 5 years old. However, they were notified by the United States that they had to return or risk losing their American Citizenship. Thus, Raymond became a lasting resident of Portland, Oregon.
In his early years, he struggled with the English language. He spoke 2 different dialects of Italian, Genoese and Toscano. He grew up on a small farm in the Parkrose area where he would deliver vegetables in the early morning before and after school. At the age of 10, he was driving a flatbed. He would have to sit on 2 pillows to be able to reach the pedals. And he would drive it to the market on 10th and Foster to sell his parents’ produce.
As a Central Catholic graduate, he enlisted in the Army. He was assigned to the early stages of the Korean War. When he was over there, it was so cold in his pup tent that he had the smarts to put everything from his bag on the ground for more insulation from the frozen ground. While he was on patrol, he saw an opportunity to ride on a tank because it was so cold, but did not realize that he was going towards the exhaust of the tank. He found out after touching it just how hot it was receiving 2nd degree burns. He was honorably discharged soon after that and returned home shortly thereafter. When he got home from war, he married his first wife Mildred with whom he had 2 kids. His first child, Lana, only lived 2 days, and his son Ray Jr. was born 3 months early. Weighing 1 lb 12 oz, he was the size of a cube of butter. He was placed in an incubator in 1961 where oxygen from the pressure caused damage to the eyes of Ray Jr.
Ray Sr. spent half his life as a realtor and owner. He had several houses, a gas station, and his own meat market company on 102nd and Sandy which he eventually expanded to a larger location. He also built a beach house in Rockaway, OR. He was a penny pincher, always had to find the best deals. One of his best deals was the garage door of that house. He finished building the beach house in a year and a half and was very proud of himself. He learned a lot from his partner. Some of his other hobbies included foraging for mushrooms, finding mussels, and crabbing with his 16 ft. wood boat, Little Ceaser. He took his boat up to the San Juan Islands in Washington and Puget Sound. Sadly, Ray Jr. never got to go. Ray took his family on a road trip across the country from Oregon through California, Nevada, Arkansas and Tennessee.
They went near the Grand Canyon and New Mexico in a 23 ft. trailer and a van. They also went on weekend trips to the beach and rode motorcycles. Ray Sr. was so adventuresome that on one trip, on a logging road, he crossed a little creek by going over a 4 in. board. Ray Jr. did not have the confidence to do the same as Ray Sr. did. Raymond also created the Club Paesano with a bunch of friends including his best friend, Aldo Rossi, and family. He enjoyed the kid games, serving beer, playing bingo, and eating spaghetti. He also joined the Rotary Club, and became a member of the Gardners and Ranchers.
Then, his 1st wife, Mildred, passed away due to lung complications. He then married his 2nd wife, Connie, until she also passed away in the hospital from natural causes. Afterwards, he lived by himself at the Columbia Knoll with his dog, Maddie, whom he loved. Eventually, he moved to Hazelwood Community Apartments where he had a great caregiver, Samantha. He lived there a long time. Then his dog, Maddie, passed away. Eventually, he was unable to care for himself anymore, that decision was made by the VA Medical Center, so his son, Ray Jr. and his wife, Patricia, found a senior care home for him. They treated him like family, and he was happy there with Genet, Ruti, Eucalus, and 2 other clients, as well as the caregiver’s dog, Eddie. He stayed for a year and ½ but developed heart and lung complications. Ray Sr. was proud of his grandson Johnathan’s accomplishments, and he got to meet his girlfriend Serena just before he passed in the ICU unit on July 10th, 2026. He could not stop talking about their future together. Ray Sr. cared deeply about his family and their futures.
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