Raymond P. Elder

March 10, 1930–November 23, 2022

Raymond (Ray) P. Elder, 92, died on November 23, 2022, in Loveland, Co.

Ray was born in Fort Benton, Mont., on March 10, 1930. He spent his school years growing up in Dayton, Wash. Ray met Donna Dudley, in high school and they were married on March 25, 1951. They remained married until Donna passed in December of 2021.

His first two years of college education was at Eastern Washington College of Education in Cheney, Wash., and the last two years at the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash. Ray self-financed all of his college education by working in the pea and wheat harvests around Dayton, Wash. in the summers and by frequently having two jobs at one time while he was going to college. In the spring of 1952, he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the national scholarship society. In August 1952, he graduated from the University of Washington.

Upon graduation Ray attended U.S. Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I. and was granted a commission in the U.S. Navy in December 1952. He served as a line officer aboard a U.S. Navy ship in the Pacific Fleet until December 1955. In the winter and spring of 1954 Ray participated in the thermal nuclear tests (hydrogen bomb) at Bikini Atoll. Following these tests his ship was sent on a twelve-month tour of the Far East returning home in the summer of 1955. He was discharged from the Navy in December 1955.

In 1956 he went back to the University of Washington for a year of graduate work. In 1957, he became a Certified Public Accountant and worked in that field in the Seattle area until 1961. In 1961 he joined as Asst. Corporate Controller Southwest Forest Industries, Inc. a small forest products manufacturing company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. He worked there until he retired as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 1987. In the 26 years while he was involved in the management of Southwest Forest Industries, it expanded to having operations in 22 states with about 11,000 employees, and the company was ranked about mid-way in the Fortune 500 listing of largest manufacturing companies in the Unites States. This company was acquired by another company in the spring of 1987 and Ray was fortunate enough to be able to retire at that time. Ray said, "Retirement is the best job I ever had."

After retirement, Ray spent all his time enjoying his family, friends, doing the things he liked to do and traveling with his wife Donna. Ray and Donna traveled the world, about half the time by themselves and half the time with small tour groups. They visited nearly all the States and Provinces of the U.S. and Canada and 31 countries around the world.

Ray very much enjoyed life with his wife, Donna, these past 70 years and knew that overall, they had a very good life.

-Submitted photo

Raymond P. Elder

Ray is survived by their three children, Gerald in Rio Rancho NM, Jeffrey in LaQuinta Calif. and Heidi Blair in Windor Co. He also had ten grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren. Ray is also survived by one older brother and several nieces and nephews.