"You don't take a good photograph, you make it" - Ansel Adams

Raymond Douglas Wishart, 63, who spent his lifetime making good photographs, creating amazing memories and changing the lives of countless students passed away on Monday, August 22nd, as the result of a bicycle accident.  Beloved husband of Diane Pinke Wishart, Ray will be deeply missed by his daughter Rachelle (Don) Hundley, daughter Rebekah Wishart and boyfriend Kyle Burdeshaw, grandchildren Haidyn and Hendrix Hundley and furry children Dharma and Glinda.

He is also survived by his mother Beatrice Wishart, brother Rob Wishart and wife Judy Dugan, niece Shandee Dryer (Mike) and brothers/sisters-in law: Nancy (Scott) Wilson, Robert (Laura) Pinke, Steve (Charlene) Pinke, Raymond Pinke and numerous other nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his father David Wishart, his brother George Wishart and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Rose and James Pinke.

Born June 19, 1953 in Fort Campbell, Kentucky to David and Beatrice Wishart, Ray graduated from the University of West Florida with a Bachelor's in Technology Education and a Master's in Administration. He later received a theological degree from the University of the South's School of Theology. He and Diane were married on April 29, 1977 and would have celebrated their 40 ^th anniversary next year.

Ray joined the faculty of A. Crawford Mosley High School in 1976 and remained there until his retirement in June of 2016. Always flexible, Ray taught a variety of classes eventually settling into DTV and video production.  He and his camera were a fixture on Friday nights at the football stadium for years and his DTV New York trips were literally legendary … the countdown to the Spring Break trip began on the first day of school each year.

Just a few years ago he began the program that will forever be his legacy when he started the school's Advanced Placement photography classes.  Teaching students to photograph, and appreciate, the world around them is Ray's contribution to society but teaching those students to be kind, generous, thoughtful human beings is his lasting gift to all of us.

Dorothea Lange said, "the camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without the camera" and Ray passionately believed that and lived it every breath until his last.  A Deacon at his church, St. Andrews Episcopal, Ray touched the lives of all he met and encouraged them all to see life through a different lens. Through informal "pub theology' discussions on Monday nights, countless lunches with students in his classroom and spirited discussions with colleagues, congregation members and those he just met; Ray never missed a chance to share his thoughts, lighten someone's load, pass along a witty thought or offer up a simple prayer.  He saw people as they truly were, no pretenses, and he loved them all no matter what. Ray's honest, Christian love was evident in all that he said but, more importantly, in all that he did. He often summed the Bible up in this simple phrase: "Love God. Love one another." It wasn't just his phrase, it was his life's work.

To know Ray was to know a man who was a study of contradictions.  He was irreverent and yet deeply reverent, quick-witted and yet incredibly patient, an adventurous risk taker and yet a soft place for people to fall when their risks didn't work out. Students will remember him for teaching them they were worth more than just their grades. Adults will remember him for his fresh take on deep theological discussions, his passionate feelings about education, his deep abiding love for the Lord and, above all, his total devotion to Diane and his two girls.  There are not many men his age who willingly participate in pedicures and manicures with their wives but Ray did not miss an appointment with his precious Diane. And although countless kids considered Ray a father figure in their lives, and he was honored to play that role for many, there was no greater role for him than "Daddio" to Rachelle and Rebekah.

Ray had big plans for retirement, posting "day time" pictures on Facebook last week that tortured those of us left working. He and Rebekah built a deck and he enjoyed morning coffee on it with his dogs.  He got a new bike, custom built just for him, and planned many rides on trails and roads around town. He had cruises scheduled through 2018 with his beloved wife and was planning many home improvement projects in between. Ray was a die-hard wood worker with an enviable tool shed but he also enjoyed reading and cooking and leading his Bible study classes. Lately, however, you would have had to work hard to catch up with him because he traded tool time for tooling around town on his new bike.

Photographers say "you don't take a photograph, you ask quietly to borrow it."  Wish, we are grateful we got to borrow you for as long as we did and truly saddened to have to say "so long for now." In our sadness, we are grateful that Wish was able to fulfill his desire to become a tissue and bone donor and so, in his death, he continues to give to others.

The family will hold a Celebration of Life service, with visitation to follow, at the A. Crawford Mosley High School gymnasium on Friday, August 26 ^th , at 5:30 p.m. Everyone is asked to dress comfortably and wear either pink or tie-dye in memory of Wish. A funeral mass will be held at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 1608 Baker Court, Panama City, FL 32401, on Saturday, August 27 ^th at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, or food, the family asks that friends consider making a donation in Ray's memory to one of these three charities that were near and dear to his heart: Beckwithal.com (Camp Beckwith, an Episcopal camp for adults and children), PanamaCityFLStrides@cancer.org (the local Breast Cancer awareness walk in October) or www.DonateLifeFlorida.org (the organ donation organization).