Raymond L. Christoph

Mr. Raymond L Christoph, age 86 passed away May 17, 2011 in Sterling Heights, MI. He was born July 30, 1924 in Beech Grove, Indiana. He worked most of his life as an engineer and served in the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII. He was a member of Lola Valley Masonic Lodge, and Kindness Chapter of O.E.S. He is survived by his children Nancy (Barry) Burnham, and Cynthia M. Johnson; grandchildren Bradley (Gayle) Strange, Keith Johnson, and Jeffrey Johnson; great grandchildren Cameron and Caitlin Strange; siblings Hazel Allen and Mary (George) Yancho; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife Eileen, of 64 years. Visitation will be Thursday 2-8:00PM with a funeral service Friday 10:00AM at the Harry J. Will Funeral Home, 37000 Six Mile Road, Livonia, MI. 48157. Memorials to Hope United Church of Christ, 32500 Utica Road, Fraser, MI. 48026 would be appreciated.

Raymond L. Christoph was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in both his approach to life and in his various relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of "stick-to-it" attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Raymond was realistic about life and was always at the ready, prepared to take on any responsibility that faced him.

Raymond came into the world on July 30, 1924. He first greeted the world at St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, Indiana. He grew up in Beech Grove, Indiana, Royal Oak, Pontiac, and Flint, Michigan. He was the son of Louis J. and Delphina V. (Roell) Christoph. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up, Raymond was good at working through the usual family problems and spats when they appeared. He was the one person in the family who seemed to be the most able to keep the stress at bay. He was raised with two sisters. Raymond had an older sister, Hazel and a younger sister, Mary. He was the type of person who seemed to be constantly involved in activities with the other members of his family. Raymond and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up, but he was always consistently loyal to them.

As a young child, Raymond was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Instead, he was willing to wait to be asked to join in. When asked, he would generally jump at the chance.

Raymond developed a variety of interests as a child. And many of the things he enjoyed doing, he did quite well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Some of Raymond's biggest accomplishments during this time included, when in grades four and six he was double promoted. In the third grade he had a no so favorite teacher, Sister Gisella (a.k.a. Sister Gorilla).

Though he wasn’t an overtly outgoing child, he did manage to be involved in a number of different areas. He enjoyed playing touch football, marbles, and dominoes.

Raymond was somewhat reserved about his relationships, but those who became his friends understood that he was true and loyal.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Raymond as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. He always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him. He graduated from Flint Central High School in 1942. Raymond's favorite class was math.

Raymond had some very close friends throughout high school, including While growing up some of his friends were, Eddie Rock, Harold McFarland, and Bill Schoeps (Beeline). Later in life he was friends with Jim Phil, Lois Norkoli, Dean and Cindy Barr, Art and Marge Reinholz, Don and Carol Barnett, Bill and Audrey Smithers, and the many friends he had at Lola Valley Lodge. Because he was so conscientious, Raymond began to understand the meaning of responsibility at an early age. No matter what he was responsible for, he always made sure to be painstakingly meticulous.

He was often cautious and careful about the people with whom he became close. There had to be some kind of spark for a relationship to develop. But there were more than sparks, there was magic when Raymond met Eileen D. Yake.

The couple exchanged vows on July 12, 1947. This marked the beginning of their time together as a family. They were married in Detroit, Michigan. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment.

Ray was very active with the Lola Valley Masonic Lodge #583 in Redford Township, Michigan, and became Worshipful Master in 1979, He was Worthy Patron for The Kindness Chapter of The Order of Eastern Star #523 in 1986-1987 and Mason of the Year in 1997

Raymond brought the same traditional values by which he lived his life to how he raised his own family. He was a good parent, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. He was also a walking schedule. He always seemed to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. He had two daughters, Nancy and Cindy. The children would often fill Raymond with pride and joy because of their accomplishments. The favorite pet Ray had was a white German Shepard named King. While King was a part of the family for a couple of years, he was a mischevious dog and would only take commands from Ray therefore King and Eileen didn't get along.

Raymond tried his best to make sure the children were raised in a warm and nurturing environment. He was also very traditional about the holidays and vacations on which the family went. Later on in life, he was also blessed with three grandchildren, Brad (Gayle) Strange, Keith Johnson, and Jeffrey Johnson and two great grandchildren Cameron and Caitlin Strange.

Raymond greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same work ethic from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in just about every situation; this included small groups, one-on-one situations as well as solo tasks. He enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy or unclear information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, he was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to details, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. While he worked at several jobs over his lifetime, his primary occupation was working as carpenter, engineer, draftsman, job superintendent for construction and building supervisor. In the 1950's Ray worked as a carpenter with is father-in-law's home building company Roy Yake Builders, then at Redford Railing, Trapp Door, Weingarten Construction and was the owner of Christoph's Curl and Swirl later changed to Headlines Hair Care, his last job was a building superintendent for Ameri Center in Novi.

Raymond worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary to meet objectives. He was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, even if that meant going the extra mile.

Raymond was in the Army Air Force during WWII but was stationed stateside. He was stationed in Clovis, New Mexico, Panama City, Florida, Texas, and Kansas City, Missouri. Raymond achieved the final rank of Sergeant. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Raymond seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job at hand.

Raymond liked to experience things first hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies. He was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Raymond always tried to set aside a certain amount of time for working on his hobbies. Some of these hobbies included square dancing, bowling, pinochle, and other card games. Ray enjoyed spending weekends at Camp Dearborn in the mobile home park with their many friends. He also like to travel with one of his favorites places being Hawaii.

He also enjoyed watching his favorite athletes and sporting events and especially enjoyed watching college and pro football games, bowling and golf.

Raymond was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of St. Pauls Presbyterian Church from 1956 to 2006. He was an ordained deacon, usher, member of money counting team, and Couples Club at St. Pauls Presbyterian Church. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

When Raymond looked ahead toward retirement he did his best to be fully prepared. The day for him to leave the workforce came in 1993. He had begun planning retirement far in advance, so everything was set out well when the time came. To move from Redford to Westland and eventually Sterling Heights, Michigan. He enjoyed playing cards and visiting with friends and relatives.

Raymond Christoph left us on May 17, 2011. He passed away at Evangelical Home in Sterling Heights, Michigan. He was 86 years old. Ray had 12 intracranial bleeds resulting in multi infarct dementia. Ray fought the battle with dementia for 13 years. He was preceded in death by his wife Eileen, and his parents. He is survived by his children, Nancy (Barry) Burnham and Cynthia M. Johnson; grandchildren, Bradley (Gayle) Strange, Keith Johnson and Jeffrey Johnson; great-grandchildren, Cameron and Caitlin Strange; siblings, Hazel Allen and Mary (George) Yancho; and many nieces and nephews. Services were held at the Harry J. Will Funeral Home in Livonia, Michigan on May 20, 2011. Raymond will laid to rest with his wife Eileen at Glen Eden Memorial Cemetery in Livonia, Michigan.

Many would say that "commitment" is a word that best describes the life of Raymond L. Christoph. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from others. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.