Obituary of Raymond A Basye

Obituary of Raymond Basye On August 8, 1913, just shy of a century ago, the only child of Gus and Georgia Basye was born on a small farm in Troy, Missouri. It was obvious from the onset he was a special gift and was given the name of Raymond. He was truly a child of God and accepted Christ at an early age. Little Raymond learned at an early age the meaning of hard work which helped to shape his character and level of commitment. On his family farm, he helped his father without hesitation with raising cows, pigs and chickens and tending to their corn field. He was equally committed to his education and walked for miles the dirt road to his little country schoolhouse every day, oftentimes with his dog, Tige, his favorite pet. During his teens, his initial desire was to one day move to the big city and at the age of 15, he accomplished his dream by moving to St. Louis where he completed his high school education at Sumner High School. Later, being a bit less than truthful about his age, Raymond applied for a postal service position and took the civil service exam, which during that era was not an easy task. Being somewhat impatient for the results of his exam, he decided to try his luck somewhere else and boarded a bus to begin a new and exciting future in Washington, D.C. While in D.C., this small town boy stayed at the YMCA and arrived just in time to attend the March 1929 inaugural parade of then President Herbert Hoover while standing in amazement during the rain. Shortly after, he received a notice that he had successfully passed the U. S. postal exam and was offered a mail carrier position at the Post Office where he returned to St. Louis to begin his new life in the city that would result in being his home. In 1944, Raymond married the love of his life, Zorata Talbert, following a well-supervised courtship by her father, who was a pastor, along with her very strict mother. Soon afterward and to the surprise of his family, he joined the Army. On one of his early furloughs, he took his new bride to New Orleans for a brief honeymoon where he convinced her to participate in the "Prettiest Wife" beauty pageant. He was so proud, but not surprised, when Zorata won the pageant. Following his military service in Germany and France after World War II and after being honorably discharged, he returned home and was committed to expanding his family with his wife by having a daughter, Cheryl Renée, and later, a son, Raymond, Jr. He resumed his career with the Postal Service and was an outstanding employee and was honored when he was named the first African American U. S. Postal Service supervisor in St. Louis. Later in his career, Raymond, Sr. continued to be the consummate salesperson as was exhibited while working as an insurance agent after his retirement from the postal service. He was honored as "Salesman of the Year" at his insurance agency at the young age of 89. Raymond, Sr. was a man of commitment in many ways. His spiritual commitment was reflected in his active involvement as a member of Union Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Louis for over 70 years in several leadership roles. He served as Chairperson of the Steward Board; Chairperson of the United Methodist Men; Chairperson of their annual Men's Day program; coordinated the United Methodist Men for their annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast; and coordinated the local and district United Methodist Men for their annual Men's Retreat at Purdue University and Acadia to name a few. Raymond and Zorata were a special couple and their marital journey together as a team was like none other. Their earthly journey ended after twenty plus years with her passing in 1965, and he remained committed to his family as a single parent by focusing on raising his two children. Being an avid sports fan, he was a board member of the St. Louis Rams Football Quarterback Club and a season ticket holder for many, many years. He was thrilled to be in Dallas and "rub it in" when the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers in the 2011 World Series. He knew his teams, and always knew what they needed to do to win and never hesitated sharing his opinion and sports analysis with family and friends. Raymond served on the Board of the Quarterback Club and coordinated their Red Cross blood drive, which benefited many in the community. In 2001 at age 87, Raymond, Sr. served as his son's best man which was one of the thrills of his life. Later, yet another thrill was the birth of his two grandchildren as he would continue to visit his family more often for holidays and special occasions. Finally, in 2011, he moved to Dallas to be closer to his family and joined St. Luke Community United Methodist Church where he was honored this year as the oldest "Senior Saint" for which he was very proud and delighted. In 2012, he was honored as one of the World War II veterans chosen to go on the "Honor Flight DFW" to Washington D.C. Upon his return, he was further honored as a VIP at the American Airlines Sky Ball where he participated in the honorable "Grog" ceremony. Raymond, Sr. will be remembered as one who never met a stranger and was a joy to all he met. He loved music, singing, wearing stylish jackets and suits, a good cologne and thoroughly enjoyed socializing with his family and friends. He was truly one of the beautiful people. His genuine style, personality and quick wit endeared him to all those whom he came in contact and he was described by many as the "sweetest man" they knew. What a testimony to one who was truly a "sweet, sweet spirit". Raymond, Sr.'s longtime companion, his cat Tommie, preceded him in death. He joined his wife in their eternal heavenly home on Saturday, June 29th; he leaves to cherish and celebrate his earthly memories, his devoted daughter, Cheryl Renée; his beloved son, Raymond, Jr. and daughter-in-law Regina; his cherished grandchildren, Regan Alexis and Raymond Alex Basye, III; and a host of friends and extended family members. And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It is the life in your years.