Ray was a Proud Fighting Falcon, graduating in 1961 from LaSalle Catholic High School in San Antonio, Texas. He served in the Army National Guard in the early 1960s. Ray was an employee of Southwestern Bell over twenty years. He started his career as a coin collector for pay phones, retiring in 1991 as a coin collection division manager. After this first retirement, he worked for the Housing Authority for the City of San Antonio, in which he spearheaded an initiative to help public housing residents to start their own businesses, which were structured to pour back into their own community. In this role, Ray also led a fundraiser which resulted in the building of a Little League baseball field for children in the West Side community.
Ray founded the Special Teams program at the North East Youth Soccer Organization in 1987, where he was active as a soccer coach. This program gave special needs athletes a chance to play in a sport they may not have otherwise been able to do because of their disability. He was also active in the local Special Olympics program.
Ray supported his late wife Barbara’s passion for people with special needs, and her vision. With Ray at her side, she founded Yes I Can. Ray worked with, and respected, many employees and consumers in that arena, for a number of years, until his final retirement around 2007. Yes I Can, a company which aids people with developmental disabilities, allowing them to live in an inclusive manner in the broader community, carries on today under the ownership of Sheila Knowles and the management of Bill Knowles.
In Ray’s later years, he took up ballroom dancing, where he and Virginia met. He participated in amateur ballroom dancing competition in Las Vegas, an activity that he enjoyed very much and through which, many friendships were born. Ray’s other interests during retirement included travel, golf, working in his backyard, and serving at his church.
Raymond is survived by Virginia Lange, his wife of 17 years; daughters, Rhonda Lange and Sheila Knowles and her husband Bill Knowles; step-children, Katherine Zamudio, Nicholas Zamudio and his wife Tiffany Zamudio, and Joseph Zamudio; grandchildren Myha Knowles, Brianna Stenger, Chandler Knowles, Jace Knowles, Ozzie Knowles, and Aiden Zamudio; sister, Jeannette Eddy and her husband Charles Eddy; sisters-in-law, Carol Wolf and Sandra Gragg and her husband Matt Gragg; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Barbara Lange; his son, Jeffrey Lange; his parents, Frieda and Julius Lange; his sisters, Gladys Huslage and Sylvia Brown; and his brother Tom Lange.
A memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 8, 2025 at Porter Loring Mortuary North. A reception will follow. The chapel will be open at 10:00 a.m. for visiting prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either the American Cancer Society or Special Olympics.
