Raymond Dyer Hinchee Jr.

Raymond Dyer (Jim) Hinchee Jr., of Salem, Va., father, grandfather, husband, friend, a man of his word and of quiet strength, died Friday, August 14, 2009, having just celebrated his 86th birthday. He is preceded in death by his parents, Raymond Dyer Hinchee Sr. and Clara Ulrey Hinchee; by his first wife of 51 years, Margaret Richardson Hinchee; and his brother, Lloyd Marvin Hinchee. Jim is survived by his wife, Ladema "Dickie" Hinchee; his daughter, Nancy Hinchee Pace; son-in-law, G. Michael Pace Jr.; granddaughters, Margaret Marie Pace and Catherine Elizabeth Dyer Pace; and his "other" children, Ellen Richardson Driscoll and her husband, Mark, Margaret Frances Richardson, Cathy Richardson Marino, Sheryl Richardson Huff and her husband, Hugh, Susan Crowder Brill and her husband, David, Debbie Crowder Swecker and her husband, George, Mary Green Stock and her husband, Bodo, and Bill Green and his wife, Claire; and many special nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, stepgrandchildren, and friends. Jim graduated from Andrew Lewis High School and worked at the Green Market along side Margaret's brothers, Ralph, Harold and W.G. Richardson. Jim and his brother, Lloyd, owned and operated the Hinchee & Hinchee Grocery & Feed Store at Hanging Rock for many years, as well as DAMA, Inc., a dynamite distributorship. Jim was also a member of the Masonic Rite Lodge #23 in Salem, Va. Jim and his brother, Lloyd, also donated the land that is now the Civil War Battlefield Memorial Park and part of the Kessler Mill greenway trail at Hanging Rock. At age 19, Jim was "drafted by his family and friends," and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. in 1943 and served until his discharge in 1945. Stationed in Mendlesham, England, Jim served as a top turret gunner on a B-24 as a member of the 34th bomb group of the 391st squadron, 8th Air Force, known as the Grand-Daddy of the 8th Army Air Force, flying 32 operational missions in the war over Europe in France, Germany and Belgium, including D-Day, June 6, 1944. Jim remained in contact with his 34th bomb group buddies through regular reunions. His granddaughter, Maggi Pace, memorialized Jim's military experience in a school paper written in 2004, which she concludes by saying, "Today I am proud to say that Raymond D. Hinchee Jr. is my grandfather. He talks about his war experiences as if they had happened just recently. The stories seem very meaningful to him because they involved friendships that he formed and extremely realistic images that come back to him when he retells them. Sitting down to hear such stories as these really causes you to respect these men who go off to war, risking their lives for the freedom of every other life in the United States. I respect him very much and I am grateful for the time he took to fight for our country." Friends and relatives are invited to a visitation on Sunday, August 16, 2009, from 1 to 3 p.m. at John M. Oakey & Son Funeral Home, 305 Boulevard in Salem. A memorial service officiated by the Reverend Lew Bennett and the Reverend Tom Clark will be held on Monday, August 17, 2009, at 11 a.m. at Salem Baptist Church, 103 N. Broad St., Salem, followed by a graveside service at Sherwood Memorial Park in Salem. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Salem Rescue Squad, 201 South Broad St., Salem, Va. 24153 or to the National D-Day Memorial Foundation, P.O. Box 77, Bedford, Va. 24523 are requested. Online condolences to the family may be made at johnmoakey.com. The Hinchee family is being served by John M. Oakey & Son Funeral Home in Salem, 540-389-5441.