Let us remember Ray Lander DMD, born on May 10th, 1951, in communist Romania, who crossed the border into freedom in 1984 - hidden on a truck amongst the furniture - eventually arriving in New York with only 35$ in his pocket and a tiny backpack with essentials. His tenacity and charm supported him in his journey, he made friends quickly wherever he went - and when help was needed, people supported him.

He discovered his passion in dentistry and, determined to succeed, worked hard and became a dentist in 2000. Years later, in 2011, he opened his own state-of-the-art practice, Clovis Family Dentistry. What followed were years dedicated to providing the best care, leading to him being surrounded by wonderful team members and amazing patients many of whom became close friends to this day.

In 2022 he retired and took the time to truly pursue his second passion, photography. He then began traveling around the world to capture its beauty. Unfortunately he soon learned that he had leukemia, an illness he fought with all his might for the last two years, but his body could no longer keep up with his fighting spirit and so he left us on August 7th, 2026.

Ray was knowledgeable, thoughtful and caring for his family and friends. There was no topic he couldn't explore or make interesting and spending time with him felt like learning how wonderful life can be. He will be sorely missed but his spirit and love will forever remain with all who knew him.