Raul entered the Navy when he was 17 and was an Engineman 3 on the U.S.S. Fulton. He left the Navy as a Petty Officer Third Class after one tour to raise his growing family. The children born to Raul in New York from his first marriage to Hilda Sanchez were Denise, Raul Jr, Evelyn, and Anthony.
Raul moved his family to California in the 60s to give his children a better opportunity. During this time, he coached his children’s little league teams. One of his proudest moments was when the football team won the city championship two years in a row.
Raul found the Lord at an early age (2 years according to him) and spent his entire life trying to grow his relationship with God. While busy working and raising his family, Raul continued to study the bible at night. He came across an evangelist in the 70s named Kenneth E. Hagin, aka Brother Hagin. He became an avid follower of Hagin’s teachings and it was during this time that Raul received his calling to serve God.
After leaving the service, Raul worked as a janitor in a bank on Wall Street. Always the social butterfly, Raul developed a friendship with one of the IT managers who sponsored him in a programming course. Raul completed the training and got his first job as a programmer at Neuberger Berman. He was the first Puerto Rican programmer on Wall Street and paved the way for others to follow.
In 1989, Raul was hired as a mainframe contractor in the Payroll department at Hughes Aircraft Company. This is where he met LaShawn Knauls. They became best friends and remained in touch throughout the years.
In the early 80s, Raul said the LORD put it on his heart to study Judaism and he visited Israel six times during his lifetime. Raul’s study of Judaism had him conversing with many Rabbis and scholars. He was so well versed in Judaism that many in the Jewish community did not realize he was a gentile. For a period, Raul did observe the Jewish traditions of the High Holy days and later followed the teachings and studies of the Messianic Jewish community. Raul also attended and graduated from the Crenshaw Christian Center School of Ministry.
Raul moved to Las Vegas in 2001 where he reconnected with LaShawn. They were eventually married on January 1, 2002. He enjoyed teaching his step-son Ian about the Word using Brother Hagin’s teachings.
Raul and LaShawn started attending a church called Word of Life Christian Center. Raul attended the Men with a Mission bible group and shared his love of the Word from its Jewish foundation with everyone in attendance. Raul also joined the men’s group, Jerks Anonymous, at Canyon Ridge Christian church where he also shared the Word from its Jewish origins.
Raul, ever sociable, would always walk up to complete strangers and start conversations with them. Eventually, the conversations would always lead to him being able to share the Word with them. He found it enlightening and enjoyable as it caused him to research and study deeper. Raul spent his retired years studying Judaism and the Faith teachings of Brother Hagin.
The pandemic was difficult for Raul because it prevented him from going out and meeting with his “congregation”, i.e., the people he saw every day at the different locations he frequented for breakfast in addition to the employees at the local Wal-Mart and Winco.
After a sudden illness, on September 26, 2021, Raul left us to be with the LORD. He was preceded in death by his mother Guadalupe, his brother Alex, his father Alejandro, his son Anthony, and his sister Lydia. Raul is survived by his wife, LaShawn, his step-son Ian, his brother Reuben, his daughters Denise and Evelyn, his son Raul Jr, his 10 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
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