Raymon Eugene Humphreys' Obituary
HUMPHREYS, RAYMON EUGENE Raymon Eugene Humphreys Born on August 25, 1923 in Mineola, Texas and passed away October 10, 2013 in Garland, Texas. Preceded in death by his father, Harry Barber Humphreys, mother, Laura Jessie Smith Humphreys, and his wife of 59 years, Jo Ann Neal Humphreys. Raymon is survived by his children, Johnny Ray Humphreys and wife, Jean; Amy Jo Humphreys Hickman and husband, Daryl; and Daniel Paul Humphreys and wife, Debbie; grandchildren, Lauren (Zack) Kulesz, Jordan (Katie) Humphreys, Joshua Humphreys, William (Jen) Connatser, Naomi, Cara, and Kasey Humphreys; and great-grandchildren, Julian and Noah Connatser and Griffin Kulesz. He was sixteen years old that summer of 1940. Still too young to go to war Raymon Humphreys thought much about how he could do his part for the coming war effort. In November of that year, while a junior at Mineola High School he decided to try. At his Army physical exam on Ackard Street in Dallas, Texas, he stepped up to the scales. It was discovered that he did not weigh enough to be a part of the US Army. Contemplating how he would overcome his weight problem, the recruiting Sergeant sent Raymon down to the Ackard Cafe where he instructed him to drink a quart of milk and eat all the bananas they had. Following the Sergeant’s orders, Raymon drank a quart of milk and ate six bananas. Upon his return to the recruiting station, he was weighed again, barely tipping the scales (116 pounds) in favor of his admittance into the US Army. Raymon served in the 2nd Infantry Division, E Company, 38th Infantry. In November 1943, Raymon left New York harbor arriving in Belfast, Northern Island on the largest ship convoy to ever cross the Atlantic Ocean aboard the USS Florence Nightingale. He spent three months in Belfast before moving to Birmingham England where he experienced firsthand the bombing of London. He then spent one year in Salisbury, England. His final placements were in Dijon, France and then as the war ended to Aachen, Germany. There he worked in a displaced persons camp for one year after the war ended. In November 1945, Raymon returned to the same New York harbor from where he had left the states aboard the Queen Mary, a luxury liner that had been converted to a troop carrier. Serving throughout Europe and then in the reoccupation of Germany, Raymon spent five of his best years protecting the freedoms that we cherish today. If you ask Raymon how we as Americans citizens should view the events of late in our country, he would recall his time in England as the bombs dropped, as the air raid sirens rang out, and as the blackouts of London would occur after nightfall. He would recall the incredible bravery of the British people. “They went on with their lives as normal, attending the symphonies, operas and plays. Sure there were times when they would go to the bomb shelters, but they were a determined people.” Raymon would tell you today that we must carry on with our lives. We cannot be intimidated, nor have our lives changed by a small group of people. Terrorists, as well as evil dictators like Adolph Hitler, thrive on intimidation. We must, as a country of free people, go on; thereby winning over the evil that has perpetrated our land. “Freedom is not free.” When Raymon returned from World War II, he met and married Jo Ann Neal in March of 1952 and for fifty-nine years demonstrated the staying power of a Christian marriage to his children and grandchildren and many others. He formed Humphreys Masonry, building and repairing homes as he built his own family. In this past week, we have leaned on our memories of Papa and the word of God. “You will have in you the strength based on His own glorious power, never to give in, but to bear everything joyfully, thanking the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints, and with them to inherit the light.” Colossians 1:12 Family will receive friends on Sunday, October 13, 2013 from 3:00 – 5:00 PM at Restland Funeral Home. Service will be held on Monday, October 14, 2013 at 2:00 PM at Lavon Drive Baptist Church at 1520 Lavon Dr, Garland, TX. In Lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Lavon Drive Baptist Church, Senior Adult Ministry or to Dallas Baptist University, General Scholarship Fund.
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