James T. Ravanis Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

PEPPERELL: James T. Ravanis, 57, of Pepperell, formerly of Cambridge, passed away Monday, December 28, 2020 at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston of COVID-19. Jimmy was born in Boston, August 20, 1963, a son of Hazel (Young) Ravanis and the late Theodore D. Ravanis and grew up in Cambridge. He was a graduate of Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School and continued his education at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New Hampshire. He has resided in Pepperell for nearly twenty years. In addition to his mother of Littleton, he leaves his wife of thirty years Kerry (Diamond) Ravanis; two sons, Nicholas T. Ravanis of Fitchburg, Lucas J. Ravanis of Pepperell; his daughter, Rachel E. Ravanis of Pepperell; his brother, Alexander Ravanis of Littleton; his sister, Maria Ravanis also of Littleton; his mother in law, Elinor Diamond of Chelmsford; two brothers in law, Christopher Diamond of Westford, and Douglas Diamond Jr. of Chelmsford. Jimmy worked for the city of Cambridge and for the Cambridge Public School System for over 35 years. Because of his extraordinary work ethic, he also held several other bartending positions in various venues where his personality left a footprint in this community – this includes Suffolk Downs, Encore Casino, and Gillette Stadium. His infectious smile that lit up the room was the main reason he found success in every role he had - nobody ever left a conversation with Jimmy without feeling better about themselves and questioning the dad joke he just made. In addition to the many jobs he carried, Jimmy loved getting involved with his children’s youth sports - including coaching T.A.P basketball and Pepperell Little League teams and supporting his daughter’s gymnastics events. When he wasn’t coaching, Jimmy could always be seen in the sidelines at a local sporting event, supporting Pepperell and other local small businesses, or by the side of his wife, he adored so much. Jimmy treated all the kids of North Middlesex Regional High School as if they were his own children, and he will be greatly missed by the community at large. Jimmy's humor, wit, and unconditional love will be missed every day. Jimmy’s family will receive friends and family at calling hours from 2-5 PM Sunday, January 3, 2021, at the Anderson Funeral Home, 25 Fitchburg Road, (Rte 2A) Ayer. For additional information or to leave an online condolence, please visit their website at www.andersonfuneral.com. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, funeral services and burial will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, the Ravanis family has asked for donations to be made in Jimmy’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association. JAMES T. RAVANIS - EULOGY Words by Lucas Ravanis given on January 4, 2021 - Dad - I would like to begin today but thanking every single one of you for being here during the most difficult time in all of our lives. My name is Lucas and I am Jimmy’s favorite son – sorry nick I just had to say it. We have received countless phone calls, text messages, emails, flowers, meals, visits, thoughts and prayers, and well wishes over the past week. All of this has been extremely comforting during this difficult time, but more importantly, it has also been a wonderful reminder of the impact that my dad had on so many lives. We truly cannot begin to thank all of you enough. It is difficult, at best, to stand up here today and attempt to honor my father’s life in words. It is never an easy task to capture someone in a speech, as words often fall short of capturing someone’s true essence, especially someone as incredible as my father. In this instance, they fall so far below the mark that I feel that it is almost futile to try it. However, I did promise my dad years ago that when the day comes that I will be here making this speech so I’m going to take a whack at it. But before I do, I am going to ask all of us gathered here today to sit in silence for just a moment and remember something about the man that touched each of our lives in so many ways. As I look out into the crowd, I can see both smiles and tears. The tears, although there have been many tears of sadness over the past week since my father has passed, are not tears of sadness as you sit here and remember. They are tears of great joy, mixed with smiles due to the way this man has left a permanent mark on our minds, hearts, and souls. I see my dad sitting on the couch after he has come home from working one of his many jobs, next to his partner in crime, Gracie, cracking up hysterically watching an episode of Impractical Jokers or M.A.S.H. or the Three Stooges. I see my dad being the coach for all of my little league teams and basketball teams, and remembering listening to my friends during tryouts hoping that my dad picks them for our team because he was the best there was. And then as I got older, I can see him sitting in the bleachers and standing on the sidelines at every single one of my sporting events, no matter how far away, always being my number one fan and rooting for me loud and proud. I see my dad walking through the door every morning on the weekend with his hands filled with coffees from Dunkin Donuts saying “yo yo yo, what up lukie rav!?” (yeah, my dad didn’t call us by our first names often– it was always Lukie Rav, Nicky Rav, Rachel Bananas and K-dog). And I also see the love in my dad’s eyes every single time he saw my mother – the absolute love of his life. When I was younger, my dad was more often the discipline one of my two parents – I would know to ask my mom for the things like “hey can I go over so and so’s house”, and would strategically target my dad for the “hey can I have some money” questions. He bartended every weekend, so I knew he always had cash on him and he very rarely ever said no. My relationship changed with my dad toward the end of my high school tenure, and it was at this time where I didn’t see him as the discipline parent anymore, I really only saw him as a friend. A buddy, a best friend. I could keep you here for hours telling you about the stories of my dad, but I know nobody really wants to be here that long. We bonded over sports – fun fact is that he could name every single mascot for all D-1 teams in the country. I couldn’t even try to tell you how many games we have watched together, he was a diehard fan for the Bruins, Celtics, and Patriots, but we all knew his most favorite team was the Red Sox. In 2004, my dad had a gut feeling that this was going to be the year the Red Sox break the curse of the Great Bambino. He took Nick and me down to Baltimore for a long weekend and watched the Orioles series vs. the Red Sox. While we were down there we even checked out DC real quick and although it was very cool, my family knows I found it more fun to chase around the squirrels in front of the reflection pool. 8 year olds man.. But I can remember that trip so vividly and I remember being in the stadium and my dad telling me “When the Red Sox win the championship this year, you can tell your kids that you saw them play the year they broke the curse”. Now looking back, we didn’t know the Red Sox would win 4 championships in like 10 years, but that memory and those words are something that I will never ever forget. My dad was the most unselfish man there was – he worked his ass off for our family so we could have a better life than how he grew up. It was amazing the amount of hours he would work during the week – each day starting at 4 am – and yet still find time to cook dinner for us and be there at just about all of our games. Think of this – Nick and I both played baseball and basketball on multiple teams, and Rachel was a gymnast, and we did this all at the same time every year. Mom, you helped out too don’t you fret, but the fact that he still found time to make an appearance was unbelievable and just so admirable. I hope he knew that the life he provided for us was perfect, and I wish I could thank him for everything. One day I will be able to. Above all the amazing characteristics my dad had, I think we can all safely say he was as funny as they came. I always knew where I got it from. Although he had some of the most cringey dad jokes in his arsenal, the outcomes of those jokes or one-liners would result in smiles and giggles. I am going to miss that the most. At a young age, my dad lost his father as well. When I was a little boy, my dad explained to me that although he loved his dad and mom and siblings very much, the saying “I love you” just wasn’t said often. He told me before his dad passed away that he called him on the phone and told him “I love you dad”, to which his dad responded, “I love you too”, and those were the last words he ever said to his dad. He made it a mission to tell me and Nick and Rachel just about every day that he loved us. And he didn’t care where we were, whether we were at home or in a grocery store, or as a teenager in front of all our friends. He would say I love you because he loved all of us so much, and I was never embarrassed by it because I knew how much it meant to him. Well Dad, I am so glad that you told me you loved me every day. I love you too Dad. There won’t be a day that goes by where I won’t miss you, where we all won’t miss you. You were so loved dad, and I can only hope to be half of that father that you were for me one day. Until last week, I used to be afraid of death – nobody knows what happens when you die and it’s a scary thought. Well, now I’m not afraid, because the day I die is the day I get to see you again. Hug you again, kiss you again, and listen to you say “I love you Lukie Rav” again. So to James Ravanis, Jimmy, Rav, Rappin Ravs, Pappa Rav, Jimmy Rav, and most importantly Dad, may you rest in peace and until we meet again, I love you so much.

Tributes

James T. Ravanis

August 20, 1963 - December 28, 2020