He grew up in the Mount Vernon, North Little Rock and Little Rock (Rosedale Community) areas. He attended schools in Little Rock and Mount Vernon and Little Rock University. He was an avid golfer and as a lad, caddied at the Concordia Club and assisted the club pro for golfing privileges. He played in numerous golfing events in Arkansas. Following his graduation from high school he ventured to Los Angeles where he played professionally on the West Coast Tournament Circuit. He supported himself by serving warrants for the courts and as a bail bondsman. His last professional golf event came at the 1939 New Orleans Open.
He returned to Arkansas in 1939 to settle down and start his 43-year career with Southwest Bell Telephone Company with an interruption for service in the US Army. He was one of the first groups called up by draft in the summer of 1941.
Before reporting for service on October 1st, he married Emogene Dorothy Robinette on September 20th, 1941 in Benton, Arkansas. They had 5 children and resided in Little Rock and Greenbrier.
He reported for duty at Camp Robinson and spent 3 years being trained (TX, CA, MT, WY) and in turn training troops for the war in North Africa, Asia and Europe as part of the 90th Division. He was promoted early as First Sargent of the Headquarters Division. In March 1944 his division departed the US for England where they were staged for further training and preparing for D-Day. On D-Day he parachuted into France behind the Normandy beaches. His units fought through France to Belgium to North Germany and across Germany to Czechoslovakia. He was awarded serval medals including 4 purple hearts, bronze and silver stars for his service. He also joined the Arkansas National Guard after the end of the war and served 6 years.
Raymond is survived by his wife of the home and his sons: Jimmy (Joyce) of Mansfield, Texas, Richard L. of Greenbrier, and daughter Marilyn Brown-Shock of Greenbrier; 14 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents: William A. and Grace Lee Jackson Brown; step mother: Hattie Reynolds Brown; 3 brothers: Richard L., Eddie, and B.G.; 2 sisters: Mary Ethel McGarity and Sybil Ann Ziegler; and 2 sons: Gary W. Brown and Michael S. Brown, Sr.
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