Mr. Raymond Lee Gwinn

His parents separated when he was still a young child. After that he alternately lived with his mother, father and maternal grandparents; he was raised primarily by his grandparents.

He married his wife, Patsy Verna Morris on February 11, 1964 and they moved to the Washington, DC area in 1965.

He grew up underprivileged and left school in the 9th grade to help support his family. He was determined to be successful despite his lack of formal education. When he turned 17, he joined the Army, spending time in Korea where he worked as a helicopter mechanic. After marrying and moving to the DC area, he became a surveyor, while also going to school and learning computer programming in its infancy. In 1974 he started a computer consulting business working with and advising other businesses on what would best work for their needs.

He became a pioneer in the field and his business grew into one that invented, designed and manufactured protocol converters. These devices required entirely different blueprints and specifications for each of his many clients. The most well-known of his customers was Mobil Oil Corporation where he invented the technology that was necessary for the credit card readers at the gas pumps to communicate with the cash registers inside the building.

Raymond and Patsy sold their business and retired in 1995 when they returned to Beckley, WV. When first arriving in Beckley, the only internet access available was dial-up. Working with Beckley College and acquiring a grant from the business they sold, he brought high-speed internet to Beckley; he was later awarded a Key to the City for doing so. This enabled him to continue with his love of technology in his retirement, rewiring or hacking almost anything to improve its function or simply because he could. On his own, he purchased GPS receivers and linked them into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) network that allows surveyors and scientists to make their positions more precise.

That hobby led to contract work with NOAA which included submitting reports regarding the positions of satellites in space. He created software that made the process of collecting the information easier and faster. This amazed executives at NOAA because their programmers had been attempting to develop the software for several years with no success. His love of hacking also led to hobbies not sanctioned by the government. He used a VPN routed overseas to bypass expensive streaming services, downloading movies and TV shows that he delighted in sharing with family and friends. He also worked with his good friend, Laris Brown, assembling synthesizers for electric guitars and hosting performances by local musicians at his home.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Patsy Gwinn (née Morris) of Beckley, WV; his parents Margaret Jarrell (née Lares) of Cleveland, OH and Kenneth Lee Gwinn of Hinton, WV; his brother, Tommy Ballard of Cleveland, OH; and his son-in-law, David Greth of Front Royal, VA.

He is survived by his daughters, Karen Greth of Front Royal, VA and Kathy Gwinn of Mt. Rainier, MD; his grandchildren, Maggie Choma (and husband Michael) of Strasburg, VA and Ames Duffy of Greensboro, NC; his great-grandson, Nathan Choma of Strasburg, VA; and his and Patsy’s dedicated caregivers, Ashley Patterson, Deborah Jones and Christy Green all of Beckley, WV.

Funeral services will be held on Monday May 12, 2025, at Blue Ridge Funeral Home Chapel at 1:00 pm. Friends may gather with the family from 12:00 pm until the time of the service. He will be laid to rest at Sunset Memorial Park Beckley, WV.

Friends and family will serve as pallbearers.