It was with great sadness that I heard this morning that veteran Canadian Press journalist Peter “Ray” Rakobowchuk passed away at the age of 71 in Montreal.
The Canadian Press published an obituary on the Globe and Mail website in which they say “Peter Rakobowchuk, a journalist with Canada’s national news agency whose high energy delivery was instantly recognizable to decades of listeners, has died. More widely known by his radio moniker Peter Ray – a supervisor early on told him it sounded smoother – the irrepressible Mr. Rakobowchuk had been undergoing chemotherapy for liver cancer.”
While most Canadians will recognize his voice from his countless Canadian Press radio reports, I will remember Peter for his passion for space which is noted in his obituary.
I only new him later in his career when are paths crossed covering space. Over the years he would provide me tips on activities in the Canadian space sector and query me for background information on stories he was covering.
He would have covered more of the space sector if he could, but he often complained to me that his bosses just didn’t get space, and only when something notable was happening, would they let him cover it.
Peter had a private Twitter account and this is where you could see his passion for space. Up until July 27 he was actively Tweeting space stories and adding his commentary.
At one point he told me he was nearing retirement and we briefly discussed the possibility of him writing stories for SpaceRef Canada, the predecessor to SpaceQ. Sadly, throat cancer pushed that discussion to the side.
Peter is survived by his wife Pat Enborg, his son Alex and daughter Lisa.