Dr. Richard Beverly Raney Jr.

Dr. Richard Beverly Raney, Jr. was born on March 22, 1939 in Durham, NC, and died of dementia in Austin, TX on January 28, 2026. He will be remembered for his brilliant mind, sweet nature, and lifelong love of family, music, and medicine.

Dr. Raney was the elder of two sons of Dr. Richard Beverly Raney Sr. and Carolyn Fuller Raney. He attended local public schools until enrolling in Woodberry Forest School in Virginia for the 11th and 12th grades where he graduated cum laude. He then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Phi Beta Kappa award. Late in his college years he decided to become a doctor, so he took an additional year of classes to fulfill UNC’s pre-medical school requirements. He went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and obtained his MD in 1965. While in medical school he met Milbrey Ewing Sebring on a blind date set up by his classmate Heatly Dulles Sebring (Milbrey’s brother). Both report that it was love at first sight. After completing his Pediatric Internship at North Carolina Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC, he and Milbrey married in Villanova, Pennsylvania on July 23rd, 1966 and this July would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Their daughter, Milbrey Ewing Raney, was born on August 11, 1967. Dr. Raney completed pediatric residency two years later and then the young family spent three years in Heilbronn and Landstuhl, West Germany while he served in the US Army Medical Corps. While in Germany, their son Richard Beverly Raney III was born on December 22, 1970.

Dr. Raney knew early in his career that he wanted to work with children and the complexity of childhood cancer and opportunities to make a positive difference in that field inspired a decades-long devotion to his work in pediatric oncology. On his return to the US he began a two- year fellowship in pediatric hematology and oncology at Duke University in Durham, NC and went on to complete his pediatric oncology training as a Fellow at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Raney served on staff at CHOP until June 1985 when he and Milbrey moved to Charlottesville, VA where he served as Professor and the Chief of Pediatric Hematology for five years at the University of Virginia. In 1990, Dr. Raney and Milbrey relocated to Houston, Texas where he chaired the Non-neural Solid Tumor Program in Pediatric Oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center for 15 years.

During his career Dr. Raney became known internationally for his publications, especially in the field of rhabdomyosarcoma (soft tissue tumors), primarily due to his participation in the National Cancer Institute’s Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study in 1974. During his career he published 153 original articles and 30 book chapters about pediatric oncology. His work included travel opportunities for him and Milbrey to Europe, South America, Japan, and India to give presentations about pediatric oncology and enjoy the camaraderie of many wonderful colleagues. His national and international impact on the field of pediatric oncology cannot be understated.

Dr. Raney and Milbrey are very grateful for all who have supported them over the years especially their families, teachers, colleagues, and friends. Dr. Raney’s main focus outside of work was his family, including his younger brother Thomas Blount Fuller Raney (affectionally known as Uncle T). He was a devoted husband to Milbrey, and a wonderful father to their children Milbrey (married to Mark Walker, Austin, TX) and Bev Raney III (married to Gennifer Jackson, Houston TX) and their four grandchildren, Maggie and Morgan Walker of Austin and Nate and Jack Raney of Houston. Dr. Raney also had a deep affection and appreciation for his sisters-in law and brothers-in-law Margot and Tom Southerland (West Windsor, NJ), Joanne and Heatly Sebring (Philadelphia, PA), and Alice Raney (Durham, NC). He was a kindhearted uncle to nieces Margot Southerland (San Francisco, CA) and Mibs Southerland (Pennington, NJ) and Harrison Sebring (Philadelphia, PA) and Marshall Sebring (Carpinteria, CA) and their spouses, and great uncle to PJ and Charlotte Mara, William and Wesley Sebring, and Otis and Joni Sebring.

Dr. Raney and Milbrey also enjoyed classical music and studying and speaking several languages including Latin, French, Italian, and German. He found great joy in singing in church choirs and oratorio societies and in playing tennis and ping pong, especially with his son. He could sing any song by the Coasters and Chuck Berry, played a mean game of poker and solitaire, loved the beach, loved a good pun, and was a proud Tar Heel. He had a passion and gift for teaching people about cancer in children and adolescents.

Dr. Raney is preceded in death by his parents, brother Thomas, and brother-in-law Heatly Sebring. He is survived by his wife, their children and grandchildren, Alice Raney, Margot and Tom Southerland, and Joanne Sebring, as well as his nieces and nephews and their children. Dr. Raney is also survived by Katherine Wolf Webb (Wilmington, NC) and William Norwood Webb (FL), as well as Richard Beverly Raney Webb, Jr (Wilmington, NC), John Bradley Howard Webb (Fredericksburg, VA), and James Webb II (Washington, DC), Tom Krueger (NC), and Kirsten Krueger (NC).

The family wishes to thank the Memory Care staff at the Village at the Triangle and Blue Water Hospice staff and caregivers for their tender care of “Dr. Bev.” They also appreciate the compassionate care provided by Doctors Joel Callahan, David Johnson, and Stephanie Erway, as well as Blue Water Hospice Nurses Vicki, Kati, and Jenny.

Funeral services for Dr. Raney will take place at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 301 East 8th Street, Austin Texas, 78701 at 3 pm on Saturday February 28, 2026. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the charity of one’s choice or to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. These donations can be made online at https://gifts.mdanderson.org or by mail to UTMDACC, P. O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210. To ensure that donations are designated for ongoing pediatric research in osteosarcoma tumors, please click on “Dedicate this Donation” and include Dr. Raney’s name in the tribute information section under “In Memory Of.” Honoring Dr. Raney can also take the form of enjoying a walk on the beach, listening to your favorite song, or playing a game of tennis or cards with great enthusiasm.