Lionel John Raymond

Our beloved, husband, father, grandfather, brother, cousin, friend, Lionel John Raymond, age 76, passed away suddenly on Sunday, January 1, 2023. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lionel and Pauline Daniel Raymond. John is survived by his loving wife, Susan Jones Raymond, son Lionel John Raymond Jr. (Kelly), daughter Megan Raymond Perry (Ryan), and his five beautiful grandchildren, Griffin, Sawyer, Lyla, Connor, and Charlotte.

John was born on October 31,1946 in Winter Haven, Florida, and grew up in Orlando, Florida. He was the middle child, with an older sister Pat, and a younger brother, Paul. In 1964, he graduated from Edgewater High School. He attended Mercer College in Georgia, before serving in the US Army from 1967 to 1971. He was proud of his service to our country, earning a bronze star while in Vietnam.

Shortly after returning from Vietnam, he met Susan and they were married in 1970. His business career in management began with Allstate Insurance Co with a move to St Petersburg, Florida in 1971. He spent 25 years with Allstate, and after many moves for the family and earning many awards and promotions, he eventually opened his own insurance agency, Assurance Associates, in Richmond, VA in 1997.

John was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, and a strong man of faith. He was an avid reader, loved golf, his Florida Gators, and his flock of many birds he kept well fed in his backyard. Every Tuesday morning you would find him at his weekly Bible Study breakfast with a special group of men who meant so much to him for the last 20 years.

John was a bright light in this world and will be missed by so many. He left a legacy to his family of kindness and unconditional love. We will honor him by following his lead and never forgetting the lessons he taught all of us through the way he lived his life.

A private family "Celebration of Life" is planned for later this month. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, www.t2t.org