Ray Sasser, exemplary outdoor writer, dies

Longtime outdoor writer Ray Sasser died last week. Sasser lost his battle with lymphoma. He was 69. Sasser wrote his outdoor column in the Dallas Morning News since 1986. Sasser also contributed his talents to The Journal. “I lost a dear friend and a cherished colleague,” said longtime friend and Journal writer, Dr. James C. Kroll. “Ray was the model for responsible journalism and a gentleman in every way. He is the man responsible for people calling me ‘Dr. Deer.’ We had so many fine days afield and I shall miss him. He was a scholar and a wordsmith. He once wrote an article about a bird hunt we had, and he opened with this phrase: ‘The German shorthair was locked tighter than the lug nuts on a junkyard Chevrolet!’ The world will never again enjoy such prose.” A memorial service for Sasser will be at 3 p.m. Monday at Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Land, in Dallas. Read more about Sasser’s life and career in the Dallas Morning News. Photo: Ray Sasser with his wife Emilie