Raymond Klein Obituary

Col. Raymond Paul Klein, USAF (Ret.) EASLEY, SC - Raymond Paul Klein, Colonel Retired, U.S. Air Force, passed away on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at St. Francis Hospital, Greenville, SC. Born on October 9, 1919 in Kirtland, Ohio, Raymond was a graduate of Wheaton College, Purdue University, and the University of Chicago. He married Evelyn Mary Jones in 1941, and they spent 68 wonderful years together before her passing in 2009. Raymond served in the Army Air Corps during World War II as an A-20 pilot and squadron commander in the South Pacific, where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He went on to serve 26 years in the United States Air Force before retiring in 1967. After 13 years as General Manager of the Washington, DC office of General Motors, Raymond retired in Charleston, SC. Life did not slow down for Raymond and his wife during retirement; however, as he penned a book about his family's history and they spent the next 20 years traveling the world, visiting their seventh continent as they arrived in Antarctica on Evelyn's 80th birthday. Raymond is survived by daughters Pamela Roe of Charleston, SC and Kimmerly Baxter of Taylors, SC and son Steven Ray Klein of Lake Tahoe, NV. He is also survived by sons-in-law Robert Roe, Randy Baxter and Robert Youngblood. He is survived by eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by two sisters, Hannah and Mary Anne, and a daughter, Susan Klein Youngblood. Raymond's last three years of life were spent in the company of friends and neighbors at the Presbyterian Foothills Community in Easley, SC. A private burial will be held at Arlington National Cemetery. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston