RAYMOND BROWN BACKSTROM

1931 - 2015

RAYMOND BROWN BACKSTROM Raymond Brown Backstrom died peacefully at home on September 9, 2015. He was one of twin sons born to Lathrop G. and Geraldine Back- strom in 1931. Raymond attended Bryant and Border Star Elementary schools and graduated from the then Pembroke Country Day School. Raymond was a Boy Scout who, as an Eagle Scout, reached the rank of Warrior in the former Mayor Roe Bartle's Mic-O-Say Tribe. After graduating from Harvard College in 1954, he became a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army where his duty in- cluded a year with the 264 Field Ar- tillery Battalion stationed in Ger- many. In 1958, he graduated from the Harvard Buisiness School and re- turned to Kansas City. Raymond's career started when he joined the then Smith Corona Mar- chant Inc. to sell calculators for the Marchant division. At this time, he met his soon-to-be wife Sydney Wallis. Friends matched them as a couple for the BOTAR Ball, and they continued to dance together for 56 years. After a brief time in Kansas City, Ray was promoted to Office Manager in Omaha, NE. In a short time, he was promoted to Manager of the Kansas City office, to Regional Manager in Chicago, and then to Vice President of Sales in the na- tional sales office in New York City. The family lived there for six years and now included three little daugh- ters. Ray had two separate careers and saw tremendous changes in both. The calculators that Marchant cre- ated and sold were destined to be- come obsolete. Much smaller mod- els were coming to market. Ray decided to take a friend's suggestion to join him in the stock brokerage business in Kansas City. This was a chance to move back home. He joined Harris Upham as an invest- ment advisor. Although Raymond stayed with the same company over the years, the company went through many changes. In brief, Harris Upham ultimately became Smith Barney Morgan Stanley. Raymond retired in 2001. He was a believer in the American economy, a sought-out consultant, and a cool head in a bear market. Throughout his life, Raymond made lasting friendships. One could almost detect the origin of a friend- ship by the name someone called him. Besides "Raymond," he was "Ray," "Bo," or "Bobo." Friends might be schoolmates, business as- sociates, customers, army buddies, or bicyclists. In mid-life, when he had more time for sports, he be- came an avid bicyclist. For about 18 years, Raymond and Sydney took one or two-week bicycle trips to various parts of the U.S. and other countries. After the bicycling days, traveling adventures continued with family and friends. Ray was a voracious reader, a wide and astute thinker who focused on challenges and came up with an- swers. He kept up with tech changes and was an ever-present fa- ther, confidant, and counselor. He operated within a firm ethical framework, but had an impish side. A good friend described him as a "big tease." He was a lot of fun! Raymond belonged to the Drury Lane Investors and a breakfast club, euphemistically called "The Study Group." He continued to have an in- terest in and supported the now Pembroke Hill School. He loved op- era and enthusiastically supported the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. He was a long-time member of the Toc- queville Society for the Greater K.C United Way. He belonged to the Kansas City Country Club where he played golf as a younger man and routinely swam laps when he could. He looked forward to both planning and participating in the "famous" LIAHO golf tournament. He and Sydney enjoyed a long membership in the Club's Dinner/Dance group as well as so many wonderful summer evenings at the pool with family. Raymond leaves his wife, Sydney Wallis Backstrom, his daughters and sons-in-law: Linda Adele Backstrom (Andrew Bailey); Maryanne Gray (Steve Gray); Jamie Wallis Back- strom (Garth Fraga); and five grand- children. He also leaves his twin brother, Lathrop G. Backstrom, Jr. The family expresses gratitude to Raymond's medical team and espe- cially to Kono Garba of Metrocare Staffing LLC, Raymond's facilitator and caregiver. The memorial service will take place at St. Andrew's Epis- copal Church at 4pm on Friday, Sept 18. Instead of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Pembroke Hill School (816-936-1222), The Lyric Opera K.C. (816-471-4933), or to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (816- 523-1602).