Raynor Snyder Astle

Raynor Snyder Astle was born Nov 18,1926, son of William Llewellyn Astle and Ella Jane Snyder. Ray grew up in a family of 10 kids: Frank, Mary, Melvin, Raynor, Charles, Mae, Henry, Arlene, Delbert, Marlon, and Wayne. There were a lot of mouths to feed, and they were poor. As a young boy Ray had 3 newspaper routes, and road his bike up and down the Fair Oaks hills, loaded with bags of newspapers. He helped with family expenses at a young age. The family home and property, their “ranch,” had many chickens, pigs, a cow, ducks and geese. When Ray got a little older, a girl in the neighborhood, Prudence Reynolds, caught his eye. However, Prue’s parents warned her saying, “don’t date those Astle boys! Their trouble!” So guess what her parents did? They shipped Prue off to Minnesota, for accounting and secretary school. Of course, that didn’t stop Ray. He came after her, and they were married on August 13,1949 in Minneapolis. Ray and Prue had 4 children: Stan, Linda Louise (who lived only one day), Katie, and Ron (who was adopted at birth). They taught their children to work hard and get the job done, to love God and to honor him, to be polite, and to respect their elders. And for a few years there were foster children in the home. Ray received his contracting license in 1959, and worked as a plumber most of his life. His first job was with the Slakey Brothers. After that he went into business with his brother Joe, which they called Astle Plumbing. Later, his boys Stan and Ron were taught the family trade, and he formed a new business, R. S. Astle Plumbing. Stan and Ron’s full names, Roy Stanley Astle (RSA), and Ronald Stephen Astle (RSA), became a naming tradition that was passed on to their children. In 1995, the life of Ray’s sweetheart Prue, was cut short due to complications of diabetes. A year later, in 1996, Ray met and married Geraldine (Jerri) Jensen. Ray and Jerri spent good time together. They vacationed on cruises and traveled to visit family. They helped each other finish a duplex across the street from their home. And they built a huge cabin in the back woods of White Bird, Idaho, which they loved. Ray had 11 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren. One grandchild, Heidi (Raymond) Palmer, passed away in 2006. There was much to be pleased about in Ray’s life. He worked hard and tried to do good. He served Prue when her disease got the best of her. His love for his Faith and God was admirable. He helped build chapels for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in many callings. Ray donated time and talents and tithing to his Heavenly Father, and taught his children to do the same. He served the missionaries, sent his sons on missions, and enjoyed the temple.

May you rest in peace always, until we meet again. We Love you.