Raymond Lindsey Ethington

Raymond Lindsay Ethington, age 96, passed away Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Raymond Ethington was born on August 28, 1929, in State Center, Iowa to Lindsay Ernest and Hilda Ruby (Weuve) Ethington. He grew up on a family farm near Colo, Iowa, with his parents and younger brother, Robert. He attended The Freelove School, a one room schoolhouse, until he began high school in Colo. He graduated in 1946 and began attending university at Iowa State College in Ames. He achieved a bachelor’s degree in Geology in May of 1951 and was inducted into the United States Army in June of that year.

Ray served the Army in the ranks of private and corporal with the 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment and the101st Airborne Division in Fairbanks, Alaska until he was discharged in March of 1953. He continued to serve in the Army Reserves until 1958.

Ray met his wife to be, Leslie Ann Nielsen, in the summer of 1953, while doing work for an oil company in south central Utah. That fall, when Ray returned to Iowa State to begin his master’s degree, they communicated through letters. On June 15, 1955, they were married and made their home in Iowa City, Iowa, where Ray began his PhD studies at the University of Iowa. It was there that their first child, Elaine Marie was born. Upon completion of his PhD in 1958, Ray moved his young family to Tempe, Arizona, where he took his first teaching job at Arizona State University. It was there his second daughter; Mary Frances was born.

In the fall of 1962, Ray was appointed to the faculty at the University of Missouri in Columbia, where he began a long and very respected career. As a tenured professor for the Department of Geology, Ray taught both entry level classes to underclassmen, as well as graduate courses to graduate students. He did research that focused on Invertebrate Paleontology, Bio Stratigraphy, and Micro Paleontology. He is credited for publishing more than 75 papers and making numerous presentations at professional meetings. He served for many years as both faculty and director of the University of Missouri Geology Branson Field Laboratory, a summer field camp for Geology majors, located in the mountains near Lander, Wyoming. He was appointed as Professor Emeritus of the University of Missouri- Columbia in 2000. He also served as editor of the respected Journal of Paleontology, SEPM Foundation officer, and chief officer of the international Pander Society (conodont workers), SEPM president, University of Missouri Geology Department Chair, and mentor to countless students and colleagues from around the world. Ray received many professional awards, including being a 50 Year Fellow of the Geological Society of America, a Pander Society Medalist, a member of the Jefferson Club -University of Missouri, and a recipient of the prestigious Raymond C. Moore Medal for his significant contributions to the field of Geology.

Raymond had many interests and was dedicated to them all. He loved research, science, history and reading. He enjoyed cross word puzzles, playing Sudoku, writing limericks, and sharing ironic jokes. One of his favorite places was the remote mountains near Ely, Nevada where he spent many summers gathering fossils for his research. He loved classical music and pigs, who he described as the most comfortable and unpretentious creatures on earth. He displayed immense integrity in everything he did, never taking more than his share and was generous in working with others. He always kept his word. Despite his many professional accomplishments, he was always humble and fair.

Raymond was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He served many callings in the church throughout his life, including teaching Sunday school, being a Home Teacher, Elders Quorum president, High Priest group leader, and serving as Bishop for the Columbia Ward. He served as a High Councilor and as Head Clerk for the Columbia Missouri Stake for many years. He was sealed for time and eternity to his wife Leslie (Nielsen) Ethington in the Manti temple in 1955.

Raymond described the balance between his faith and his scientific pursuits this way. “Scientific investigation, a work of the mind, seems often to converge with revelation and the world of the spirit. I am impressed by how closely my thinking comes to words written over a century ago by W. W. Phelps:

The works of God continue, and world and lives abound;

Improvement and progression have one eternal round.

There is no end to matter, there is no end to space;

There is no end to spirit; there is no end to race.

There is no end to virtue; there is no end to might;

There is no end to wisdom; there is no end to light.

There is no end to union; there is no end to youth;

There is no end to priesthood; there is no end to truth.

(“If You Could Hie to Kolob, “Hymns, 1985, no. 284.)”

Raymond was a devoted husband to Leslie; a loving father to children Elaine (Benjamin) Bluml, Lee’s Summit, MO, and Mary (John) Pratt, Columbia, MO.; and a proud grandfather of grandchildren, John (Keri) Pratt, Jacob (Bridget) Pratt, Joseph (Emma) Pratt, and Jeffrey (Shanna) Bluml and eight great grandchildren, Ava, Lillian, Isabelle, Connor, Elliott, Ethan, Jalah, and Jaxx.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and brother Robert.                                                                                                                                      He will be dearly missed and forever cherished by his family.                                                                                                                                         Funeral services will be held at Longview Funeral Home – Kansas City on April 6, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.                                                                           Burial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. at Longview Cemetery.                                                                                                                                     A luncheon will follow at the funeral home.

Memorial donations are suggested to:                                                                                                                                                                                 The Dr. Raymond Ethington Student Scholarship Fund of the University of Missouri                                                                                                       (Donor Relations, 306 Reynolds Alumni Center, Columbia MO 65211),                                                                                                                       (email) donorrelations@missouri.edu, (website) giving.missouri.edu