Carlsbad man died doing what he loved, his family says By: YVETTE URREA - Staff Writer
CARLSBAD ---- The family of Raymond Harshman, 69, said he was a happy man who died just the way he would have wanted: on a fishing boat in the ocean after just hauling in two big fish."He couldn't have gone more perfectly, and God just took him at that second," said his wife of 29 years.
His daughter said her father left Monday for a six-day fishing trip to Mexico. It took about 24 hours to get to Guadalupe, off the Mexican coast. When they got to the spot, he went out and caught a big fish, and then took a nap, she said. Then he woke up and went back out again."He was catching a 67-pound tuna, and he fought it for 20 minutes," she said. "He was so happy, and they were just standing around talking, and then he collapsed, and he was gone."
Two emergency medical technicians and a doctor tried to revive him with a defibrillator without success, she said.
"We have such peace with it because he was a wonderful Christian man, and he was doing what he loved, and he touched so many lives ... and he loved his family so much," his wife said.
Raymond had not been ill and always took his medications and monitored his cholesterol, so his death was very unexpected.
Last week, Harshman told a shop clerk at Ken's Custom Reel at the harbor that, 'I hope if I go, I go when I'm fishing,' and he repeated the same sentiment to his wife and his mother.
Harshman was born Nov. 9, 1936, in Phoenix, Ariz. He served in the 82nd Airborne and was a very proud American, his daughter said. He then went on to work for 40 years in the construction industry and started his own company and served as president of Reliance Plumbing Corporation.
He retired in 1996 and bought an Oceanside beach cottage that he rebuilt for his family, as well as another home for his mother.
In between, of course, he met his future wife in Flagstaff, Ariz. in 1976. Their eyes met across the dance floor, and when he went over to ask her to dance it was truly love at first sight, she said. They were married the next year.
"He was the love of my life, and I was the love of his life, and we both knew it," his wife said.
He had a daughter and four sons. Harshman also had nine grandchildren, three great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and other family.
She said her husband had many friends who were drawn in to him either by his strong handshake or his big bear hug.
"His personality just flowed into you," his wife said. "He was one of those special people, who other people were drawn to."
Since he retired, his wife said, they had been living out their dreams, traveling on their boat to meet friends in other states and fish and visit with them. Last month, they went to Texas and fished, in July they went to Alaska to fish for king salmon and they also visited Washington, D.C., this year to see the monuments.
At his service held Saturday, friends and family came from all over the states to remember him.
During the program, the family composed what they thought Harshman's last wishes for his friends and family would be.
"Ray's loving wish to each of you would be to hold your family and friends close and tell them often what they mean to you. Finally, his hope for you would be to be as ready as he was to meet God face to face."
I was loved!
I'm going to miss him deeply.
