Major Raymond Lee Sumners

Major USAF (Retired) Raymond (Ray) Lee Sumners, Denver, CO. was born December 27, 1939 in Lamar, Colorado to Herbert (Bob) Allen Sumners and Opal Virginia Aldrige. Ray moved around frequently due to Bob being wounded in Metz France during World War II suffering a severe wound to his leg requiring him to use crutches and finding jobs where he could work with his disability. Due to moving so often, Ray attended 13 schools between first grade and high school. He met the love of his life while attending St. George High School in Kansas. He was too bashful to talk to Gwendolyn (Gwen) Joan Young and tried to write her numerous letters expressing his love for her but always tore them up. One day his mother, Opal, found one of the letters and mailed it to Gwen and the rest was history. Ray started in the USAF as an airman and was deployed numerous times to both Okinawa and Vietnam shortly after the birth of son. He served in these deployments as an ambulance driver, air evac medic and in the medical technician and was awarded the bronze star with valor during the Vietnam war when he and four other Sergeants ran to the aid of 14 other airmen when a Viet Cong sympathizer threw a satchel in to a group airmen preparing to board a bus.

After these deployments he obtained his Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree and served as a medical technologist at several bases in Texas, Illinois, Alabama and Colorado. Eventually, his commanding officer coaxed him in to apply for Officers Candidate Training and was commissioned as second Lieutenant in command of a training squadron at Lowry Air Force Base, Aurora, Colorado where he commanded the training of five squadrons of airmen and NCOs in aircraft repair and maintenance. While at Lowry he received two dual Master’s Degrees in both Business and Administration and both Teaching and Instruction. Ray was later promoted to First Lieutenant and Captain at Lowry before deciding to accept an assignment to Bitburg Air Force Base in Germany where he was second in command of the first maintenance group for the first new F-15 fighter jets deployed to Europe. He returned to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska where he became commander of a joint military courier services unit later commanded another courier services unit at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Commerce City, Colorado. Eventually, he was promoted to Major and accepted the position of Second in Command of Lowry Air Force Base until his retirement.

After retiring from the Air Force, Ray became an administrator and instructor for Westwood College in Denver, CO. where he retired for a second time.

Ray was an avid athlete all his life excelling sports in high school, later earning a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do while in Vietnam. He also qualified as a marksman every year of his Air Force career. He also was on military fencing team and loved to snorkel, ski, swim, hike (or his family called the Death March), camp, vacation across the United States and often beat younger men during mile and half Air Force fitness test.

Ray is survived by his son David Ray Sumners, his wife Deborah Lynn (Taulbee) Sumners, grandson Ryan David Sumners and his granddaughter Rachel Faith Sumners, also a teacher, his daughter Dawn Renee (Sumners) Gilbert, her husband Leman (Andy) Gilbert, and grandson Jessie James Young.

Ray loved his family as evidenced by the pictures of all his relatives in his home, but few of himself. He always put his family first, often working one or two side jobs while he was enlisted and as an NCO to provide the best life he could for his family. He now goes to reunite with the love of his life, Gwen, whom he has sorely missed for the past ten years. As he would often say, mom is holding his spot at Ft. Logan National Cemetery for him. He will be interred next to mom. Ray will be sorely missed by his family and all the friends and others whose lives he touched. Bye Dad, we love you and will see you someday.