Raymount David Arman

Ray is survived by his wife of 19 years, Janet Arman, his sons Larry and Raymount II, his daughter-in-laws Rita and Kathy, granddaughters Audra, Desiree, Royale and Racquel and five step-daughters, Tammy Wimpee, Jenny Chan, Laura De Crausaz, Shelly Marvin and Julie-Ann Murphy. He has a total of

16 grandchildren.

Ray was born January 20, 1923 in St. Louis, Mo. to Anthony and Elsie Mae Franklin. His father was from Austria and mother from Indiana. He was the youngest of 11 siblings.

He grew up in the time of the depression when children would stand in soup lines in order to eat. He would regularly ask for handouts. Many times his meals would consist of coffee and bread, but some nights he would go to bed hungry. The children in those days made good use of their imaginations and made toys out of anything they could find. These things molded Rays thinking and questions about God.

He graduated from Hadley’s Vocational School of Art in June of 1940. He then joined the US Army Air Force in 1942 and served until 1947. He was a ball turret gunner on B24’s and B32’s. When he got out he went to Washington University at night to study fine arts, while during the day he attended the Woodcraft Institute for Commercial Art for 2 years. He had a passion for art and it came very natural to him.

Ray married Geraldine McCauley on July 23, 1943, happily adopting Geraldine’s son Larry as one of his own. They had one son together, Raymount David Arman II in January 1948.

Ray and Geraldine moved to San Diego in 1947 where he accepted a job with General Dynamics Convair as an Engineering Illustrator for six years, from 1956 to 1962. This is where he first came into contact with Karlson Venus, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Brother Venus started talking to him about the Bible. Ray liked what he was hearing and wanted to learn more. So Ray and Geraldine accepted a Bible study and immediately started attending meetings. They both quickly realized they had found the truth.

Three weeks after attending the meeting at the Kingdom Hall, Ray was to give his first public talk; but when they found that he had just started attending meetings, they quickly changed the talk to an Instruction talk on the Theocratic Ministry School.

After 6 weeks of attending meetings, on December 21, 1952, Ray and Geraldine were baptized. In 1952 their son, Raymount David Arman II joined the ministry school. Their lives from that point on revolved around serving Jehovah.

Ray had the privilege of serving as an elder in the Linda Vista Congregation, as City Overseer in San Diego, giving talks at Circuit Assemblies and District Conventions and participating in Bible Dramas.

After moving to the Garden Grove Congregation, Ray’s son Raymount II, met and married Rita. They both became regular pioneers and served where the need was greater.

Ray and Geraldine then moved to serve where there was a need for elders in the Fort Brag Congregation in 1978. From there they were then invited to serve at Brooklyn Bethel, which they very excitedly accepted. Ray was put to work as a Technical Illustrator on the MEPS system and later transferred to the Art Department, teaching and directing various projects. He also had the privilege of serving as a Bethel Elder and as an Elder in his congregation in Brooklyn.

In 1991 he started researching and constructing the scale model of Herod’s Temple. He was given six other workers to help him in the construction of the scale model. It took three years to complete and has been used at Patterson as a teaching tool for the Missionary School of Gilead for many years. This project was his pride and joy.

It was during the construction of the model of Herod’s Temple in March of 1994, that Geraldine, his wife of 50 years, fell sick and died of pneumonia as a complication of leukemia; receiving her heavenly reward. She was buried at the Bethel cemetery between two very dedicated and faithful servants of Jehovah.

He continued working at Brooklyn Bethel in the Art Department for the next year. He met Janet Dupont while giving a presentation about Herod’s Temple to a group visiting Bethel. They married on March 25, 1995.

Ray always said he wanted a daughter – so he got five. He became the proud step-father to five of Janet’s daughters. He always said, “I was blessed with not one, but five beautiful daughters. What a blessing!”

At death most have a hope of resurrection to life on a paradise earth. But those of the anointed of Christ have a heavenly calling and are transformed to be Kings and Priests with Christ in heaven since 1914. Ray had this special calling. He is one of the 144,000, a privilege beyond compare.

Ray had a deep desire to serve Jehovah faithfully and fully and to help others learn to put their trust in Jehovah and his Word. He had deep knowledge and understanding of Bible Scriptures, a strong desire to dig deeper and deeper into the Bible and Bible history, and to add to his fund of knowledge about God. He had an interest and talent of making charts and diagrams of Bible subjects. He had zeal and zest for life.

He had a love for music and singing. He was funny and quick witted, always coming up with the funniest ways of expressing himself, making others laugh. Just walking into a room, he would command attention and was well liked by others. He could walk over to a person he had never met before and strike up a conversation about almost anything, but especially about the God he served. This is what made Ray “Handsome Harry,” as he would call himself.

Ray will be missed dearly by his family and all that knew him. These memories and the knowledge that he is with Jehovah God will always be there to comfort us.

Arrangements are under the direction of Eternal Hills Memorial Park, Mortuary, and Crematory, Oceanside, California.