Raymond Leslie Lower
Raymond Leslie Lower
Raymond Leslie Lower died peacefully of natural causes on Sunday, January
20, 2013, at home, surrounded by his family.
He was nearly 93 years old at the time of his death.
Ray was born on March 3, 1920, in Salina, Kansas. He was the second child, and oldest son, of
Lyle and Ruth Lower. Ray’s older sister,
Francis, was unable to pronounce the word “brother” when he was born, and
instead called him “Bud”. That nickname
would stick with him for his entire life.
Much of Ray’s childhood was spent moving around the Midwest plains states
as his parent’s pursued a living in farming.
This included one move in the fall of 1924 when the family loaded
everything into a covered wagon and, over the course of a month’s time,
journeyed from Ford County, Kansas to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Their final big move, from Wyoming to Idaho,
happened in the fall of 1930.
Ray graduated from Wendell High School, in Wendell, Idaho, in 1938. He went on to higher education at Albion
Normal School, in Albion, Idaho. Albion
Normal School would later move to Pocatello and become Idaho State
University. Ray majored in Mathematics
and Science, and would eventually graduate with a teaching degree in 1947, but
his education was interrupted by the bombing of Pearl Harbor and World War II.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked, Ray felt the call of duty to his country,
joining the Army Air Corps in March, 1942.
He was assigned to a crew on a B29 bomber, based out of Saipan. His crew would fly 48 missions over
Japan. It was a service that he would
speak proudly of for the rest of his life, and rightly so. He came home with a box full of medals for
his service, including the Distinguished
Flying
Cross.
After World War II ended, Ray returned to Idaho and civilian life. He married Lela Hunter on May 28, 1949,
eloping to Elko, Nevada. They would
remain married for the rest of his life, almost 64 years. Eventually they would have 4 children, 8
grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.
Ray spent his working life as a high school teacher and coach at Wood
River High School, in Hailey, Idaho, a farmer in Blaine County, Idaho, and a
public employee for the State of Idaho.
He would spend 30 years working for the Idaho Transportation Department
in Boise, Idaho, before retiring on January 31, 1986. At his retirement celebration, Ray was lauded
for his many years of service, and the high quality of his work. He was known among his co-workers as “a
walking history book, a historian for past events of the Idaho Transportation
Department.”
Over the remainder of his life, Ray tended his yard and garden as if it
were a large farm. He was happiest when
he was on his lawn tractor, or tinkering in his shop. Give him a roll of duct tape and some bailing
twine and he could build just about anything.
There was no such thing as junk to him.
He grew up in the depression, so everything had value, even if it was an
empty can or a broken toaster, and he had the soul of an inventor.
Ray was preceded in death by his parents, 2 sisters, and 1
great-grandchild.
A memorial service will be held at Alden-Waggoner Funeral Chapel, in
Boise, Idaho, on Wednesday, January 23, 2013, at 1:30pm. A private graveside service will follow at
Dry Creek Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests you make a donation to your
favorite charity.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Raymond Leslie Lower, please visit our flower store.
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