Raymond "Ray" Stephenson
April 6, 1929 — October 27, 2016
Ray Stephenson, 87, of Springville, Iowa, died on Thursday, October 27, 2016, due to declining illness. Visitation will be held at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Marion from 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 1, 2016. A private funeral for the family will be held at a later date. Burial will be at the East Wiota Cemetery, Wiota, Wisconsin.
Ray is survived by his wife, Lee (Keller) Stephenson, and daughter, Jodi Stephenson, both of Springville; brother, Franklin (Margie) Stephenson of Darlington, Wisconsin; mother-in-law, Evelyn Keller of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; niece, Lisa Schweitzer of Platteville, Wisconsin; nephews, Bruce Stephenson of Darlington, Wisconsin, and Steve Martin of Cuba City, Wisconsin; and several grand and great-grand nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Anna (Senn) Stephenson; his sister, Shirley (William) Martin; and his older daughter, Leslie Stephenson.
Ray was born April 6, 1929, in Wiota, Wisconsin. He played football at Darlington High School. After graduation he worked on the family farm for four years before joining the Air Force. He was a radio technician on a B36 in the 11th Bomb Wing, 26th Bomb Squadron, Crew 12. During the Cold War one of Ray’s duties was arming and disarming the atomic bomb. His squadron’s plane was also featured in three Jimmy Stewart movies. He later graduated from the Osh Kosh Institute of Technology where he studied to be a lab technician.
Ray met Lee at Rockwell International (then Collins Radio) and they were married on September 10, 1960. He was a lab technician at Rockwell for 30 years, and also farmed.
His hobbies included golfing, building and fixing things, and traveling to Branson, Missouri.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice in Ray’s memory.
The family would like to thank the staff at Living Center West for their excellent care.
Ray is survived by his wife, Lee (Keller) Stephenson, and daughter, Jodi Stephenson, both of Springville; brother, Franklin (Margie) Stephenson of Darlington, Wisconsin; mother-in-law, Evelyn Keller of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; niece, Lisa Schweitzer of Platteville, Wisconsin; nephews, Bruce Stephenson of Darlington, Wisconsin, and Steve Martin of Cuba City, Wisconsin; and several grand and great-grand nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Anna (Senn) Stephenson; his sister, Shirley (William) Martin; and his older daughter, Leslie Stephenson.
Ray was born April 6, 1929, in Wiota, Wisconsin. He played football at Darlington High School. After graduation he worked on the family farm for four years before joining the Air Force. He was a radio technician on a B36 in the 11th Bomb Wing, 26th Bomb Squadron, Crew 12. During the Cold War one of Ray’s duties was arming and disarming the atomic bomb. His squadron’s plane was also featured in three Jimmy Stewart movies. He later graduated from the Osh Kosh Institute of Technology where he studied to be a lab technician.
Ray met Lee at Rockwell International (then Collins Radio) and they were married on September 10, 1960. He was a lab technician at Rockwell for 30 years, and also farmed.
His hobbies included golfing, building and fixing things, and traveling to Branson, Missouri.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice in Ray’s memory.
The family would like to thank the staff at Living Center West for their excellent care.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Raymond "Ray" Stephenson, please visit our flower store.