Husband, father, grandfather, and servant of God, went peacefully to meet his Lord and Savior and be reunited with his wife Elizabeth on October 11, 2013 after a brief battle with cancer.
Raymond was born on September 24, 1931 in Waco, TX. When he was ten his family moved to San Diego where his parents worked in aircraft factories building B24s and PBY Catalina’s. When the war was over, his family moved back to Waco and enrolled at Waco High School where he played baseball and football and was on the 1948 state championship team. It was during his sophomore year at Waco High that he met his future wife, Elizabeth Starr. Their relationship began on their first date and continued through 54 years of marriage.
After graduation, Raymond enrolled in the corps at Texas A&M, and studied mechanical engineering. After graduation he married Elizabeth and they moved to Pirmasens, Germany for two years where he fulfilled his military duty in the 280mm Gun Battalion. Upon returning to the United States, he obtained a Masters in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas and went to work for Chance Vought, then Texas Instruments, in 1957 where he worked with a new semiconductor technology known as thermoelectric cooling. When TI decided to exit the thermoelectric business, Raymond had the foresight to acquire TI’s interest and started his first company, International Energy Conversion in 1963 which later merged with 2 other companies to become Nuclear Systems. Marlow Industries was established in 1973 with three investors and a small personal loan.
Marlow Industries became Raymond and Elizabeth’s extended family. Through hard work and a supportive wife, the company was built on biblical values and principles. At its height, Marlow Industries had more than 850 employees in the US, England and Japan and sold products in 24 countries. Raymond was passionate about Total Quality Management. “Doing it right the first time” extended beyond manufacturing to include the way he treated employees, customers, and suppliers. He believed that training, equipping, and empowering employees in a safe working environment would lead to individual success and create a world class company. Under his leadership, he and his employees won the 1991 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and Industry Week Magazine’s “America’s 10 Best Plants” in 1993 and “Top 25 Growing Companies” in 1999.
His professional achievements include receiving the Dallas Fort Worth Region 1992 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Technology Award and an appointment by governor Ann Richards as the Founding Chairman of the Quality Texas Foundation. At Texas A&M, he was awarded the Dwight Look College Outstanding Alumni Award by the School of Engineering, is a Member of Distinguished Graduates by the Mechanical Engineering School and he served on its Development Advisory Council. One of his most memorable experiences was accompanying a delegation of US business CEO’s on President George H.W. Bush’s ten day Far East Trade Mission on Air Force One.
Throughout his career he always made time for family and friends. Weekend trips to Waco to visit family were frequent as were ski trips to Colorado. Coaching YMCA football and baseball, attending piano recitals, Indian Guilds, father son/daughter Bible studies, overnight canoe trips, golf tournaments and fishing were favorite family activities. He loved traveling with family and friends, especially to Europe and visiting World War II battle grounds. Building wooden model airplanes and collecting pennies were childhood hobbies that he continued through retirement.
Raymond is preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Elizabeth Marlow, his parents, Raymond Marlow and Mary Lierman, and grandson Connor Raymond Marlow. He is survived by his brother George (Skip) Marlow of Dallas, TX, his son David and daughter-in-law Judy Marlow, his daughter Ann and son-in-law Malcolm Holland, grandchildren Cole and Christopher Marlow and Charlie and Marlow Holland.
A praise and worship service in his memory to celebrate his homecoming and reunion with Christ will be held at Believer’s Chapel, Dallas, on October 14, 2013 at 3:00PM. In lieu of flowers, Raymond requested donations be sent to the Elizabeth and Raymond Marlow ’53 Fellowship at Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Drive College Station, TX 77840 or the Children’s Medical Center Foundation for the Connor Raymond Marlow Endowment for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. All donations should be sent to 2777 N. Stemmons Freeway Suite 700 Dallas, TX 75207.
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