John Joseph Raymond

John Joseph (“Jack”) Raymond was born in Buffalo, New York, on July 3, 1931, the eldest of the seven children of John Joseph Raymond and Kathryn Marie Dowd Raymond. He married Wanda Lou Abernathy on September 6, 1956, in Washington, D.C.

John Raymond grew up in the Parkside neighborhood of Buffalo, which is also to say in St. Mark’s Parish, where he attended school and served as an altar boy. After St. Mark’s School, he attended Holy Angels Collegiate Institute, where he was president of his senior class. He received a B. A. in Social Studies from Harper College (now SUNY Binghamton) and an M. A. in Business from Albany State Teachers’ College (now SUNY Albany).

From 1953 to 1955, he served in the U.S. Army at the Pentagon. In 1955 - 1956 he pursued post-graduate studies in history at George Washington University (G.W.U.) where he met his future wife, Wanda. In 1956 he began his career with IBM in Washington, D. C. He began as a programmer; then worked in managerial positions in South Africa; White Plains, New York; and finally the Dallas area through his retirement in 1992.

Throughout his adult life, Jack ran every day. He derived great pleasure in activities and friendships developed at Cooper Fitness Center in Dallas, which he joined when he moved to Richardson in 1979. He ran the White Rock Marathon twice. His strict regimen of running encouraged several of his children to excel in track. He also managed several Little League teams in New York.

Jack enjoyed a variety of music including the Clancy Brothers, Willie Nelson, and Luciano Pavarotti. He loved to read and discuss history, especially Irish, American and Texas history.

Jack’s children share bright memories of hikes along the AppalachianTrail in Bear Mountain Park, summer vacations on Cape Cod and visits to D.C. to visit relatives. His daily recitations of Pater Noster and the rosary with the family inculcated a deep faith in his children. After his retirement from IBM, Raymond volunteered for fourteen years at the White Rose Women’s Center in Dallas; as a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) teacher at several parishes; and, from 1992, as a Eucharistic Minister first at All Saints, then St. Anthony’s, and finally St. Mark’s Catholic Church. He was greatly saddened when his failing health forced an end to this service in 2013.

John Raymond was predeceased by: his parents, nephews Timothy Raymond and Kevin Raymond, niece Mary Raymond, and brother-in-law William Raymond Tash. He took great pride in his family of six children, eighteen grandchildren and one greatgrandchild: Virginia Marie Raymond and Thomas Lee Kolker (Austin), Joseph Raymond Kolker (Cambridge, Massachusetts), Rebecca Pauline Raymond Kolker (Brooklyn, New York), and Louis Raymond-Kolker (Commerce and Austin, Texas); Kathleen Adele Raymond Roan and Russell Louis Roan, Daniel Raymond Roan, David Louis Roan, Matthew Reed Roan, and Veronica Marie Roan (Richardson, Texas); John Joseph Raymond and Toni McLaren Raymond, Hannah Marie Yuanju Raymond and Rachel Anne Leyin Raymond (Pflugerville); Kevin Michael Raymond and Ann Mary McGeehan, Katherine Mary Raymond, Elizabeth Ann Raymond, and Sarah Louise Raymond (Austin); Kerry Louise Raymond and children Michael Aaron Gist ( Katie & daughter Esimra Gabriella Simpson Gist), Maya Gabriella Gist, and Douglas Stephen Gist (Austin); Michael Terrance Raymond and Katia Ann Luedtke, Christopher Dylan 3 Raymond, Caroline Marie Raymond, and Connor Francis Raymond (McLean, Virginia). In addition to his wife, children, and grandchildren, Jack’s survivors include his six siblings and their families: Joan A. Raymond Vreeland and her husband James Joseph Vreeland (Weston, Florida), James Raymond Vreeland and Kristen Vreeland-Frias; brother Dr. Lawrence William Raymond and Claire Raymond (Charlotte, North Carolina), Susan Raymond, Christopher Raymond, and John Raymond; brother Patrick J. Raymond and Patricia Lane Raymond (Binghamton, New York), Christine Raymond Izewski; brother Kevin Michael Raymond and Patricia Merkle Raymond (Woodbridge, Virginia), Shannon Raymond Johnson, Monica Raymond McNamara, Erin Raymond, and Michael Raymond; brother William T. Raymond and Linda S. Raymond (Frederick,Maryland), Joan, Bill, and Larry Raymond; sister Mary Kathleen Raymond Tash (Paoli, Pennsylvania), Melody and Delia M. Tash. John Joseph Raymond strove to be a good provider for his six children, a faithful husband to his wife of 58 years, and a devoted Roman Catholic. He succeeded.

Visitation will be at 6:00 PM on Friday, February 27th followed by a Rosary at 7:00 PM at Ted Dickey West Funeral Home, 7990 George Bush Turnpike, Dallas, Texas, 75252. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, February 28 at 11am at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Wylie, Texas. Burial will be at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. Those who wish to make Memorial contributions might consider Catholic Charities or the Snyder-Robinson Foundation. Arrangements under the direction of Ted Dickey West Funeral Home, Dallas, TX.