Raymond Lee Stevens
Obituary for Raymond Lee Stevens (rls) [as written by Ray]
Raymond Lee Stevens was born in southeast Missouri on August 19, 1951 in Ironton, Missouri to Adrian Van Buren Stevens and Retha Irene Berry Stevens. RLS was raised on a rocky farm (cattle and trees) on Dry Creek, Missouri south of Fredericktown. RLS graduated from Fredericktown High School in 1969 and worked three summers for the Missouri State Highway Dept while attending college at night. RLS married Sheila Marie Wright on April 3rd 1971 and they drove the 63 Chevy to Rolla, Missouri with her family's black & white tv and my family's refrigerator. RLS finished a BS in Civil Engineering (cum laude) on May 13, 1973, and went to work for Texaco Inc. in Port Arthur, Texas on May 21, 1973 and the fun began.........:-)
homes of Ray & Sheila Stevens................
1973-1978, July......................Groves, Texas---Texaco Inc.
1978-1985, August.................Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia---loanee to Aramco
1985-1990, December...........Baton Rouge, Louisiana---Texaco Inc.
1990-1998, December...........Dhahran, Saudi Arabia---transferee to Saudi Aramco
1999-2010, April......................Houston, Texas---contractor for ExxonMobil
Raymond met Sheila Wright at the 2nd Baptist Church in Fredericktown where she played the piano. They went on their 1st date to the Fredericktown High School Homecoming in Oct. 1967. They married in the same church on April 3rd, 1971. RLS leaves two children, son Chris (wife Kim) and daughter Brandi. Chris & Kim have two children and live in the New Orleans area, Sydney 8, and Brody 6. Brandi lives in London, England with her son Moisis 2.
In high school, RLS was the center on the Blackcats basketball team, a member of Beta Club and President of the Student Council. RLS interests in Engineering peaked early---3rd grade, rls attended grade school 1-8 south of Fredericktown at Mill Creek. After noticing his best friend left town on a transfer......:-(---his dad was a mining engineer from University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). There were a couple other transfers in high school and rls had the bug to be an engineer. Civil was chosen to facilitate better chance of outside work---being raised on a farm was good. It allowed for long summer vacations with the family starting in 1958, 17 states west of the Mississippi River was the first big vacation. By choosing the oil business for the career the travel got better---Texas, Middle East, Louisiana, back to Middle East and return to Texas. RLS finished his colorful career as a contractor for ExxonMobil in Baytown, Texas.
Raymond loved sports, playing and watching: St. Louis Cardinals, LSU, Houston Texans, etc. RLS was a self-taught tennis player, as anyone that played with him knew. It was called 'unorthodox' or painful. The 1st racket was wooden, purchased with S&H Green stamps.
Raymond loved all kinds of music, especially country. He liked to say, the only college classes he ever failed were dancing. The beat was in his head just didn't reach his feet.......:-) However, rls did DANCE.............:-)
As much as rls enjoyed traveling in the USA and abroad, his favorite place was at home with his family & friends. He never met a stranger, could walk in a room of people and leave knowing their names and stories. He was infamous for his love of taking pictures and organizing them and sharing them thru e-mails. The 'Bud Light Report' was enjoyed by many and he loved the replies. He took great pride in washing his vehicles.
He would even vacuum the street.........:-)
Raymond wouldn't want you to mourn long but think of him and smile, see a Bud Light and smile, remember a joke or a story he told and smile..............:-) He spent his life, dancing his way with Sheila, The Queen, and loved every minute of it.................:-)
[as written by Ray]
The following is the information regarding the funeral for Ray Stevens in Missouri. Please note there will also be a memorial gathering / celebration of Ray's life in Houston sometime in the near future. We will announce the information as we receive it.
Missouri Schedule
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Family Viewing from 4 pm to 5 pm
Public Viewing from 5 pm to 8 pm
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Funeral Service - 10 am
Burial and then Lunch
Funeral Home: Follis & Sons Funeral Home
700 Plaza Drive
Fredericktown, MO 63645
(573) 783-8336
Flowers: The Flower Box (see below for donation alternative in lieu of flowers)
118 West Main Street
Fredericktown, MO 63645
(573) 783-2163
In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to the Baylor College of Medicine by clicking on the link below. Ray wanted any donations to go towards the "Research Fund" In Memory of Raymond Lee Stevens. www.bcm.edu/advancement/ Upon selecting this link you would select DONATE NOW in the top right of the page.
If you are intending to attend the Missouri funeral from out of state, the family recommends the following hotel options in the local area:
Hampton Inn Farmington
850 Valley Creek Drive
Farmington, MO 63640
(573) 760-8700
Holiday Inn Express Farmington
820 Market Street
Farmington, MO 63640
888-HOLIDAY
Mike Champagne said of Ray, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" Sent in by Tom Doody.
Download the Raymond Stevens funeral service bulletin