Raymond Lohman

Raymond C. (Ray) Lohman went on to meet his Lord on ninth of February 2024. Ray's partner of 72 years, Janice Bond Lohman who is still active and serving God and mankind as she has her entire life. Ray always said he was blessed by God to have her to love and share life with for so many years. Ray grew up with his grandparents until age 13, as both parents were medically institutionalized in his early years. He always treated his Grandparents as his second parents and they lovingly raised him and his brother, Ted as their own. Ray's mother was cured of Tuberculosis in 1944 and soon married to his loving stepfather, Henry (Mac) McGraw who moved us to his ranch in Oklahoma. He had a wonderful life there with his own horse and many acres of land to roam. The family later moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, then Midwest City Oklahoma adjacent to Tinker AFB where Mac worked for many years as Ray grew up.

In 1950, Ray joined the US Air Force where he trained at Fort Belvoir, VA and worked in Photo Intelligence at Eglin AFB, Florida during the Korean War. His group at Eglin developed new mapping technology for both war and peacetime use. Using this new technology, his group provided mapping of selected targets in North Korea to destroy by American bombers and fighters.

While at Eglin AFB, Ray met and married Janice Bond, a beautiful young lady from Dothan, Alabama. They had our first child, Larry, while at Eglin, and our lives were forever changed. Ray worked in off hours for a Colonel in his squadron, who maintained a Chemistry lab on the base. As a result, Ray gained a love for chemistry and decided to study for a career in Chemical Engineering after discharge.

In 1954, after four years in the Air Force, he took his family to Oklahoma where he entered the Chemical Engineering Curriculum at Oklahoma University in Norman Oklahoma. Ray excelled in college, gained Honor Society recognition and was President of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering.

Upon graduation, Ray began work for Exxon Research and Engineering Laboratories at Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

While in Research there, he produced or shared in production of eight United States Patents in the area of petroleum and chemical raw materials production.

During the nine years in Baton Rouge, Janice and Ray had two more children, Jeffrey Dean Lohman and two years later, Kayleen Lohman. After these nine years in Petrochemical research, he was transferred to an Exxon affiliate, Standard Tankers, Bahamas Headquarters in New York City, and later, to Exxon International inc, also in New York City where he was liaison for Creole Petroleum activities in Venezuela. Five years later, he returned to Exxon Company, USA Headquarters' in Houston as a Senior Advisor where he spent the final 14 years of his 28-year Exxon career.

Upon returning to work in Houston in 1973. Ray and Janice moved into the new Kingwood Development and soon joined Forest Cove Baptist Church, which later became Second Baptist Church of Houston, North. In 1974, Ray participated in the creation of a Christian group he named CrossNet Prison Ministries and a Mission group, later formally organized and named Northeast Mission. He worked as a mentor to prisoners in Atascocita Prison and Houston's Baker Street Prison for 10 years.

After retiring from Exxon, he was self-employed as an Independent Consultant in the field of Supply and Transportation logistics. He worked one year preparing testimony as an expert witness for Buckeye Pipeline Company, as they were being sued by the Airline Industry's claim of price fixing. His testimony before an Administrative Law Judge in Washington, DC, was the key element that helped Buckeye win the yearlong case.

Afterwards, his recorded testimony in this case and his written report on S&T Logistics was purchased by several companies in the industry. After this year working for Buckeye, he was again employed as a contract employee by Exxon Chemical Company, where he managed several research projects. The results of his research on one of these led to a process, now used worldwide, which, when integrated into an existing refinery operation, produced a valuable chemical.

After retiring finally from productive employment, he and his wife, Janice enjoyed a month-long tour of Europe and numerous travels both in the US and foreign countries, including 2-3 week cruises to Alaska, Canada and the Caribbean Islands.

His last venture in retirement took place on the tennis courts and five golf courses at Kingwood Country Club. He spent time with many friends where he claimed no success but had lots of fun.

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey and the devastating flood destroyed the entire interior of their home in Kingwood. They restored the destruction of the interior and moved back home on January 15, 2018. Soon thereafter, Ray found he enjoyed writing poetry. Having received some acceptance by friends on AllPoetry.com he continued writing and decided to have his poetry, at the time over 100 poems, published under the name

*Poems With A Message".

He felt blessed to have this pastime, obviously given to him by God to help him remain an active witness, therefore, much of the content of his poems included God's involvement. He has written over 100 poems since the first publication and planned to have a second book published, the Lord willing, he has said he hopes at least one of his poems will be read at his funeral.

Ray is preceded in death by wonderful parents Bernice Lohman McGraw and Stepfather, Henry Webster McGraw, his brother, Francis Theodore (Ted) Lohman, with a God inspired talent of music and the arts, and his wife Betty. Ray has living children, Larry of Richardson Texas, his wife Carolyn and daughters Jennifer Lohman Boyd and husband Brandon Boyd, great grandchildren Benjamin and Ethan of Stillwater, Oklahoma and Lara Lohman of Houston, Texas, a second son, Jeffrey Lohman and his wife Kay and their twins, Luke and Isabella of Kingwood, Texas and third, a daughter, Kayleen Lohman Townsend and her husband Kiah Townsend, of Pearland, Texas. Kayleen also has three of his grandchildren, Andrew Crocker and wife, Angelica, and great grandchildren Clara and Lena, Courtney Crocker Brown and husband Wells Brown and two great grandchildren Avery and Annabelle of Houston, Texas, Matthew Crocker of Houston, Texas, Ray's grandparents, the late Reverend Jesse Iron Williford and wife, Elizabeth Williford who raised Ray and brother Ted in Rays first 13 years, the grandparents had three wonderful daughters, Rays aunts, Mary, Lillian and Bernice and four sons, his Uncles, Carl, William (Bill), Walter and J. Richard, (J.R.) all deceased. As part of a large family, Ray had fifteen cousins whom he dearly loved and enjoyed being in their lives.