Remy “Raymond” Jaffe passed away on February 17, 2017 in Los Angeles. He was born June 29, 1928 in New York City to John and Rose Jaffe. The family moved to the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles where Remy graduated from Roosevelt High School. He served in the US Army during the Korean War, carried on the family trade of sewing machine and typewriter engineering and repair, and returned to school to earn his BA from Cal State LA and a master's degree in family counseling from USC.
He worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District as an elementary school counselor and middle school art teacher. One of his legacies can be found in the thousands of children he nurtured throughout his years in education.
After his retirement, he continued his work as an artist, photographer, and master potter. He traveled and camped up and down the California coast, spent time on the beach and hiking in Yosemite, and always enjoyed sitting outside to soak up the sun.
Music was a huge part of Remy’s life. An avid fan of Bluegrass / Americana music, he attended hundreds of festivals throughout his life. His favorites were Strawberry Music Festival in Yosemite CA and Live Oak Music Festival in Santa Barbara CA. During the nearly 25 years he attended the Live Oak Music Festival, he was joined by every member of his family and many friends.
Remy’s life was filled with art. Ceramics was his primary outlet, and he devoted hours to pottery, as well as to photography, woodwork, jewelry, sculpture, and more. Remy participated in many art shows where he loved to discuss art while selling his creations.
Remy was a longtime supporter of KPFK radio, an activist, and an avid gardener. His lush garden was the envy of human, deer and squirrel alike. He could often be found sitting outside, soaking up the sunshine - at home or while camping. An iconic image of Remy is at Live Oak, listening to music, shirtless in the sun, with a knife in his left hand whittling a piece of wood into something beautiful.
Remy had four children: Dale, Diana, and Paul (with Lois Boileau) and JonaRose (with Jaelline). As a grandfather, he loved attending birthday parties and school events, sharing music and art with his grandchildren, and enjoying camping and conversation with them as they grew.
Remy is survived by his longtime partner Sheila Andrews and his brother Peter, and was predeceased by his sister, Joyce Angerman. Remy was the loving patriarch of a large family and is also survived by his children Dale and his wife Lisa Hubler, Diana and her husband William Shaffer, Paul and his wife Mara, and JonaRose and her husband James Feinberg; and his grandchildren Kaitlin, Kevin, Lucy, Maggie, and Ben. Remy’s love for his family, his intelligence, and his wit will be missed by them all as well as by the loving friends he leaves behind.
In lieu of flowers, you are encouraged to make something in Remy’s honor — make art, make a donation, make a memory, make love, make peace.