Raymond Phillip Schleiden

Raymond Phillip Schleiden, 89, of Middlesex Township died Wednesday.
He was the devoted and most loving husband of the late Marion P. Schleiden; the honored father of daughters, Valerie Shaffer, Marianne Berger (Richard), Patricia Kuremsky (David); the proud father of sons, Robert (Deborah), Roger, Roy (Pamela) and Russell Schleiden; the brother of Elsie Muschar; and the lovingand joyful grandfather of 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
He was preceded in death by seven brothers and five sisters.
Ray was born Sept. 13, 1926, in Pittsburgh. He attended the University of Tennessee in 1944 and was a letterman on the 1945 Tennessee Volunteers Rose Bowl Team.
In August 1945 he volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps and when World War II ended he was honorably discharged in September 1946.
He won the Knoxville, Tenn., Golden Gloves Award in 1947. He played guard for the Richmond Rebels and Allentown/Bethlehem Bulldogs a Pittsburgh Steelers farm organization from 1947 through 1950. In 1949 he won Mr. Pittsburgh and was runner-up for Mr. Pennsylvania Bodybuilder.
Ray retired from the H.J. Heinz Company of Pittsburgh in 1993.
Raymond cherished his country. He, his sons and his grandsons have more than 85 years of combined service to our nation in the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marines. He was a longtime member of Bakerstown American Legion Post 548.
He loved sports and coached the North Suburban Football Boys Club and many Little League and Pony League teams for the Mars Baseball Association.
Ray was a reverent member of the churches he attended and was an avid hunter, sportsman and dog lover. He belonged to the Bakerstown Beagle Club and was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.
SCHLEIDEN - Friends of Raymond Phillip Schleiden, who died Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home, 238 Crowe Ave., Mars.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Glade Run U.P. Church, 1091 Pittsburgh Road, Valencia. Everyone is asked to please meet at the church.
Burial with military honors will be at Allegheny County Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Marion P. Schleiden Memorial Fund, 100 Campus Drive Development Office, Grove City College, Grove City, PA 16127 or Wildlife for Everyone Endowment Foundation, 341 Science Park Road, State College, PA 16803-2287.
Directions and condolences are available at www.mcdonald-aeberli.com.