January 20, 2021
1936-2021 ~ Raie passed away peacefully on January 20th, 2021 at Evergreen Baptist Care home in White Rock with his family by his side.
Raie was born to Laurie and Hazel in Toronto and was the oldest of 5 boys.
Raie was predeceased by his Father, Mother and Brother Keith. Raie is survived by his wife Maggie, daughter Joie and her children Julian, Nathan and Danika, his son Raie, wife Grace and their sons Mitch, (wife Jane) and Riley, his son Lawrence, wife Brita and their children Levi and Chloe.
The Howlett Family left Toronto in 1947 heading for Vancouver by car. Their first stop on the West Coast was White Rock and they never left. Raie loved everything White Rock had to offer but more importantly sharing these experiences with Family, Friends and anyone who was interested. Skim boarding, waterskiing, sailing,
fishing, pier jumping, tennis and wiener roasts on the beach were all things Raie loved about White Rock.
Raie loved to run and competed many times in races throughout the lower mainland. He loved skiing and spending time with family and friends in the mountains.
Raie and his brothers were very passionate about car racing, it was something they shared together from a young age. Many weekends were spent volunteering at Westwood racetrack in Coquitlam.
His love of racing became something his entire family would share. The family would travel together every year to watch his favorite driver, Canadian Gilles Villeneuve who was driving for Ferrari, compete in the Long Beach Grand Prix. In later years he would travel to races across North America with either Maggie or his sons Raie and Lawrence and their close friend Peter Dunn.
Raie worked for the City of White Rock for thirty-five years. He at first helped run the Sewage treatment plant and later drove garbage and recycling trucks. Raie took pride in his job, he loved the physical labour and the opportunity to meet and greet the people of White Rock.
There are countless stories of kids waiting in the window for the smiling garbage man to arrive. At Christmas he would have candy canes for all the kids along the route.
More than anything Raie loved spending time with his wife and family. Going for coffee was always a great excuse to get together. He loved his grandkids so much and took every opportunity to be with them. Raie will always be remembered for his smile, even as Alzheimer's slowly took him over, he never stopped smiling.
The family would like to thank the staff at Evergreen. They loved Raiman and treated him like their own Father.
At this time there is no memorial planned.
In lieu of flowers please donate your smile to the people around you every day and think of Raiman