Raymond H. Delaney Sr.

Raymond H. Delaney, Sr., 90 years old, went to join his wife, mother, brothers and sisters on Monday evening, November 1, 2004. Services will be held at 5 pm Friday, November 5th, at First Baptist Church West Columbia. Honorary pallbearers will be his Sunday School Brothers. Friends are invited to a reception-celebration from 6-9 pm Thursday at Best Mattress Company, 713 Meeting Street, Columbia. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Raymond Delaney Lighthouse Youth Ministry Fund at First Baptist Church West Columbia. Thompson Funeral Home of West Columbia is handling arrangements.

Born in Alabama in 1914, Mr. Delaney was the son of the late Samuel Delaney and Mabel E. Beecham. As a very young boy, his family moved to Signal Mountain, Tennessee, where he began his love of sales and marketing by delivering newspapers early every morning. After moving to Atlanta, he continued his newspaper “business” by picking up his papers at the Varsity Grill each morning and returning after his route to have a hotdog and orange soda. While serving in the Armed Forces during WW II, he was wounded in Africa. Being sent home to recover, he met his bride, a beautiful nurse named Elizabeth Hall. They were happily married for 52 years.

Along with his mother, Mr. Delaney founded Best Mattress Company in 1928. He was past-president of the Furniture Dealers of Columbia Association and was voted one of West Columbia’s “Best Dressed” businessmen. In the 1950’s, while traveling to a furniture show, Mr. Delaney met actress Jane Mansfield. She asked him to design and build a special heart-shaped bed for her. He did so, with the help of his Uncle Truman Boyles, which began his custom-made mattress business. Also during this time, Mr. Delaney founded Lexington Investment Company with friends, Alton Salters, Sherlock Hutton, and other close friends and associates.

Mr. Delaney was a member of First Baptist Church West Columbia, the 40 & 8 Club and the Pineview Ruritan Club. He was also a lifelong member of the University of South Carolina Gamecock Club, of which his love of Gamecock football he passed on to his son, Buddy and grandson, Logan.

Mr. Delaney was a generous man with a kind, loving and compassionate heart. His convictions were strong and he had a great love for his family, friends and church. Surviving are his son, Buddy – Raymond H. Delaney, Jr. and his wife, Marci Ruffin Delaney; daughter, Linda Martin and her husband, James Martin, all of West Columbia; two adoring grandsons, R.H. Delaney, III and Logan Thomas Delaney; special niece, Betty Ruth Bennett; and others. He was predeceased by sisters, Virginia Marcina Gray and Ruth Heloise Hayes; and brothers, Kenneth Carson Delaney and Carlisle Littleton Delaney.

The family wishes to express deep gratitude for the loving care provided to our loved one by the staff of National Health Care in West Columbia, and the kindness and compassion shown by the very wonderful, Dr. Darin Sutton and now-retired, Dr. Dunovant; the caring staff of the PCU at Lexington Medical Center; and all of the physicians, nurses and other staff members, who had been a part of our lives for the past four years. www.thompsonsfuneral.com