Richard Demaray

Richard (Dick) Demaray, 90, of Billings, MT, died on August 4, 2025, at home with family. 

He was born May 13, 1935, in Tappen, ND, the son of Richard and Mildred Demaray. He was the oldest of three boys, three stepbrothers, and one stepsister. He grew up in Tappen on a farm where they raised horses. His mother was a trick rider. His dad was a professional boxer who fought for the welterweight championship of the world. Their dad traveled a lot, so Dick and his brothers had to take care of things at home, which they would sometimes communicate by carrier pigeon with their dad. After a while, they had to sell the farm, and Dick had to go to work doing many jobs like milking the neighbor's cow and farm work. He only finished sixth grade in school.

Eventually, the family moved to Billings, and after getting jobs doing ranch work and roofing, he got a job at the Railroad, where he met the love of his life, Lora (Babe) Lynn Livingston, who was waitressing at the Beanery. They were married June 26, 1955, and started a family, five boys and one girl. 

He quit the railroad for a while to work with Lora’s family to start a sawmill towards Ashland, but after some time, he went back to the Railroad, where he worked on docks and drove a pickup and delivery truck in Billings, and for a short time in Glendive. While he worked on the docks, he occasionally worked with his two sons, Richard and Ron, and friends Chuck Ward and Paul Schoemer. During his time at the railroad, he raised 6 kids and helped Babe get through college, where she got a master's degree in education and went to Bozeman to work towards a doctorate. After college, she went to work in Lame Deer to work for four years, during which Dick drove back and forth every weekend. 

He instilled in his kids a great work ethic. He always said to make hay while the sun shines because there will be times when there won’t be the opportunity. He sometimes worked three jobs to make ends meet. BNSF Transport sold out several years before he was to retire, so he had to sit in the rubber room until they closed it. After that, he went to Livingston to try his hand at becoming a switchman, and then they put him on the section gangs driving spikes. Later, he ended up going to Havre to work as a clerk for several years. 

Finally, he was able to retire, so he moved back home, and he started to build his dream house with his son Jon, south of Billings on Blue Creek Road. It took several years, and with the help of his kids and grandchildren, he finished, and he moved in and sold his house in Billings to Roger and Laurie. 

During his retirement, he raised horses, a donkey, and some sheep. He liked to go 4-wheeling with his brothers, Jackie and Gordon, and camping with his family. He would meet up with his truck driver friends for coffee and go down to Church to do some projects with Chuck Ward, Ron Carter, and Everett Johnson. He loved his Church family and really enjoyed the many potlucks. He took care of Babe for several years with the help of Robin and Lynda while she battled Alzheimer's until 2019. 

He was preceded in death by his wife Lora, son Jon, brother Gordon, brothers Tom and Kelly, grandson Nick, and great-grandson Chandler. 

He is survived by his brother Jackie, Manard, sister Wynona, sons Richard (Terri), Dan (Kris), Ron (Peggy), Robin (Lynda), daughter Laurie (Roger), daughter-in-law Mary Ann, and 23 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held on August 16, 2025, at noon at the Billings Evangelical Bible Church, located at 401 Custer, Billings, MT.