Frank J. Raymond

1933 - 2025

Frank J. Raymond was born July 11,1933 to what he called "unsettled parents and a Great Depression roaring throughout the country." Life was tenuous. They often spoke of their situation as "far beyond welfare." There were no organizations to support the family, and jobs were short, distant, and fragile. Rules and laws of the time put a heavy burden on families, parents, and children.

He said their neighborhood was called "gasoline alley" after the comic strip of that name and because the two streets or blocks were mostly garages; no footers or foundations, just wood frames with no floors. Buyers took the frames with two swinging garage doors and finished or remodeled the "house" into a livable structure. His family had one frame house on three lots which gave them room to garden, raise animals, and survive.

When his Daddy died in 1939, they were isolated. His Mother got a sales job at LaSalles, an upscale department store in Toledo, Ohio. To get there was a mile-plus walk to a suburban bus. The wages and the hours were long and short. Frank and his sister, Henrietta, were put in charge of doing the chores and maintaining the house, yard, pens, pets, etc. A paper delivery route became available, and Frank took it, much to his teachers' chagrin. This gave them sustenance and a reason to get out and try to better themselves. As the route grew, Sunday papers and morning papers supported the family year-round. Lawn mowing was a side job as well. As the route grew, Frank's contribution rivaled his mother's income and he became a provider at a very young age. He joined the military and was a proud Korean War veteran, serving from 1953-1956 with the US Army 11th Airborne in the tank division and as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne.

Frank loved his wife, his family, god, and his country. He met his wife, Kathleen, when he was 19 and they married on September 26, 1952. He was devoted to her, and inseparable from her, throughout their almost 69 years of marriage, until she passed away of diabetes complications on July 13, 2021. They raised 5 children-Susan, Karen, Joseph, Melissa, and Heather. He was an active church member of many congregations throughout his life; in his later years his home base was the First Baptist Church of Dripping Springs, where he took on odd jobs, served as a deacon, and attended his Sunday School class without fail.

Frank never met a stranger, could literally chat up anyone, and made friends wherever he went. He loved singing, was perpetually whistling, and was an avid gardener and voracious reader. He was a carpenter by trade and enjoyed building projects large and small. He took his only son, Joseph, to work with him when he was a kid so he could teach him the tricks of the trade and, in a full-circle moment, helped Joe build his own house as an adult. Frank had to stop working with him on it before completion due to Kathleen's fragile health, but it remains one of Joe's fondest memories of his Dad.

He might have been one of the most stubborn people ever born. He never went anywhere without a hat (especially once all that red hair of his youth went away). His favorites were his Michigan State cap, his casual Army Airborne (in green), and his favorite Army Airborne with all of his pins (in black).

He is survived by his 5 children, 9 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, 1 great, great grandchild, and his sister, Henrietta Huff.

In lieu of flowers, donations to First Baptist Church, Dripping Springs, to the missions committee and/or Spanish Church, would be appreciated.

Funeral services will be 11:00 AM on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at the First Baptist Church Dripping Springs. Burial will follow at Phillips Cemetery.