Dennis Jack Raney, a longtime resident of Spokane, passed away on January 22 at the age of eighty-six. Jack was born in Kellogg, ID on September 8, 1939, to Dennis and Junice Raney. He made mother proud early in life by winning 'Baby Spokane' in 1941. Jack was the oldest of five children. He is survived by his three sisters, Mary Jean, Kathleen, and Geraldine who loved him dearly. His younger brother Frank, his best
friend, predeceased him 10 years ago. Jack would often mention how much he missed his brother and it's good to know he's with him again.

During his childhood he attended St. Aloysuis school in Spokane; then later at the age of thirteen, he moved to Santa Barbara, CA to attend the catholic seminary school. For college he attended several universities. He loved going to school. First, he attended Gonzaga University for 2 years. Then he went over to Seattle where he got a job with Boeing while attending Seattle University, and then the University of Washington. He
returned to Spokane and earned a bachelor's degree in education from Gonzaga. For a brief time, he also attended Eastern Washington University. And then few years later he earned a master's degree at Washington State University.

Jack married the love of his life Marlene Adams on December 30, 1961. They had five children, Michael, Paul, Annie, Tom, and John. They had five grandchildren, Alex, Bailey, Ben, Michelle, and Joe. And he also had numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. All who adored and loved him tremendously.

Jack was a beloved teacher who taught Spanish and German at Ferris High School for more than thirty years. He was selected as the first German teacher when Ferris opened. And before retiring from Ferris, he also taught English as a second language at a local community college for immigrants living in Spokane. During his teaching years he was awarded three Fulbright Scholarships. The Fulbright Program is one of the most esteemed international scholarship programs, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. It aims to enhance mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through educational and cultural exchanges. Jack was the perfect candidate. He represented the United States well. These scholarships allowed him to teach in Europe on three separate occasions – Ludwigsburg Germany, Viena Austria, and then a small town in Northern Germany.

Not only did he love to teach; he loved to learn. He continued learning new languages throughout his life, languages like mandarin Chinese and more recently had been learning a few new words in Bantu. He taught himself how to put a computer together from scratch. And he would teach his children and nieces and nephews about many things that he would learn along his life's journey. Not only about the spiritual but also about things concerning nature. He loved the outdoors and he loved the northwest. He liked learning about the birds of the northwest, the geology of the northwest, and about its trees. And that western hemlock droops at the top. He will be much missed for his humor, intelligence, and kindness.

A rosary will be held on Wednesday the February 4th at 4pm, and a funeral on February 5th at noon at St. Aloysius Church.