The longtime owner of a popular Richland restaurant and music venue has died after he was struck by a car while crossing the street.
Ray Chin died Sunday at Kadlec Regional Medical Center, where he was taken for severe head injuries suffered in the collision.
The former owner of Ray’s Golden Lion was 83.
Chin was remembered Monday as a man with a big heart who loved the Tri-Cities community.
“If people were in need and they had nowhere else to turn, they would go to my dad and my dad would give them what he could,” Chin’s son, Sandy, told the Herald.
Chin was crossing Van Giesen Street near Birch Avenue at nighttime on Feb. 12 when he was struck by a Honda Accord, police said. He was wearing dark clothes and not walking in a crosswalk. It was raining.
Chin was heading home after a walk when he was struck, police said.
Police called the collision a tragic accident. Charges are not expected against Brenda Nelson, 42, of Richland, the driver of the car.
“We were caught off guard. The last thing that entered my mind was dad getting hit by a car,” Sandy Chin said.
Chin, a native of Hong Kong, opened Ray’s in 1963 in the Uptown Shopping Center after coming to the Tri-Cities to cook in a Chinese restaurant, which today is known as Lee’s Tahitian.
Chin quickly started booking musicians and Ray’s was able to attract some major acts through the years, including Frank Sinatra Jr., Ike and Tina Turner and Meatloaf.
“It was based on food and camaraderie, and a place where people like to go and socialize,” Sandy Chin said. “When the days and times were simpler, it was more about a place to go where you can hang out and enjoy each other’s company.”
By the early 2000s, Ray’s began booking more punk rock and heavy metal shows. It morphed into the go-to place for hard rock in the area, allowing patrons all ages to attend weekend shows.
Chin, who cooked during the day, was a regular on the weekends, along with his son, Stan, who managed the bar.
On good nights the club drew about 200 people for concerts, with half of the crowd consisting of teens.
Chin and his wife, Shirley, were pushed out of their rented space following a dispute over the lease. Ray’s officially closed in October 2015 after serving customers for more than 50 years.
“He lived and breathed the restaurant,” Sandy Chin said. “That was his life.”
