Raymond W. Roark

1929 - 2011

Raymond W. Roark passed peacefully Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011, after 82 years of loving, learning and giving. Service: 11:15 a.m. Friday in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, Lane A, 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy. Memorial service will follow at 1 p.m. at Burleson Church of Christ, 820 SW Wilshire Blvd. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to his favorite charities, Disabled Veterans of America, Feed The Children or the amazing Emery J. Lilge Hospice House in Burleson. He grew up in the Texas Panhandle, attended Vega High School, then moved with his family to Lytle, where he graduated from Lytle High School. He served in the U.S. Navy as an aviator during the Korean War and later as a flight instructor. After his military service, he pursued his passion and graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute. He was a successful commercial artist as the owner of AdArt Studios in Fort Worth for 25 years and actively supported the Fort Worth Opera. He spent 11 years in Lampasas as a sign painter, then returned to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2002. He was preceded in death by his father, Cecil "Smokey" Roark; mother, Reba Roark; and brothers, Donald Wayne and Cecil Herman Roark and wife, Doris Roark. Survivors: His wife, Julia K. Baker Roark; sister, Dorothy and her husband, Corky Richardson; son, Matt and his wife, Angie Roark; son, Aaron and his wife, Laura Roark; daughter, Rachel and her husband, Bob Sherrill; daughter-in-law, Emily Roark; former wife, Joyce Leteff Roark; stepdaughter, Teresa and her husband, Darrell Barrow; stepson, Ross and his wife, Leslie Baker; 13 grandchildren; and one great-grandson.