HICKORY – On June 27th, 2022, Raymond Monroe Townsend went home to be with his Lord, at the age of 91. He was preceded in death by his parents, Monroe and Fannie Townsend; his loving wife Linnie Maxine Smyre Townsend; his siblings Jennie Townsend, Clara Townsend, Dean Townsend, Thelma Townsend Sigmon, Ruth Townsend Little, Vertie Townsend Hedrick, Carroll Townsend, Glenn Townsend, Ellis Townsend, Max Townsend, John Mark Townsend, Margie Townsend, Robert Townsend, Brenda Townsend Young; his sister-in-law Patricia Smyre Jonas; his brother-in-laws Jack Reedy, Bayne Jonas and Tony Travis.
Surviving are children, Linda Scott and husband Patrick of High Point, Pamela Nanney and husband Gary of Hickory, Jeffery Townsend and wife April of Taylorsville; brothers, Truman Townsend of Rocky Mount, Edward Townsend of Hickory; sister-in-laws, Jane Smyre Reedy of Danville, PA, Linda Smyre Travis of Newton, grandchildren, Bryan Clontz, Caroline Clontz Kadis, Emily Clontz, Amber Nanney, Ian Nanney; 17 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; and numerous other family members.
Raymond was born on July 11, 1930 in Avery County to Monroe and Fannie Townsend. He was one of 17 children that were raised on a farm. In 1951 he married his sweetheart Maxine Smyre that he loved dearly. They raised their children in Hickory.
He went to work at Quality Cleaners at the young age of 15 and stayed for 50 years. When he retired he opened a sawmill where he cut lumber and built pallets. He was gifted in being able to look at a tree and tell you how many board feet it would make before he started cutting it into lumber. Later his son Jeff joined him to run the sawmill and make benches, swings and nicknacks that they sold at craft fairs until he retired a second time when he was 88 years old. He was a volunteer fireman with Fairbrook Fire Department for 31 years. Being a fireman and saving lives was like a second nature to him. He had several close calls and made the newspapers front page a couple times being pulled out by his boots from burning buildings, but he loved the job. While there he became a Captain and Fire Chief twice.
He was also well known for his dedication to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hickory, where he was a member since birth. Over the years, he cleaned the church, mowed the lawn, competed on church volleyball and baseball teams for 15 years, sang in the choir and performed solos at Easter for many years, was on multiple committees and spent a lifetime serving the Lord.
His hobbies were reading, gardening and sports. He loved to read the newspaper and magazines daily. Every summer he wanted to see what all he could grow in his garden and the bigger the better. He would always follow the Almanac. You could not plant until it told you to and he loved to share his produce with family and friends. When it came to sports, there was nothing he wouldn’t watch. He would watch multiple sports flipping back and forth and could tell you what was going on with each game. But he especially enjoyed baseball and racing. Probably because he spent his youth playing baseball with 9 brothers, they made their own team and as an adult he would volunteer each week at the racetrack with the fire department.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Friday, July 1, 2022 at 1 PM at Catawba Funeral Home with Pastor Judy Drysdale officiating. Burial will follow at Bethlehem Lutheran Church Cemetery where he will be laid to rest beside his wife.
The family will receive friends prior to the service from 11 AM – 1 PM at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the church in his memory.
Condolences may be left at www.catawbamemorialpark.com.
The Townsend Family is under the care of Catawba Funeral Home.
