Raymond Faire

Raymond Faire, 93, of Cape Girardeau passed away peacefully Sunday, July 3, 2016, at his home, surrounded by his loving family. His last breath here on earth was his first in heaven.

He was born April 7, 1923, in Deventer, Missouri, to Herschel and Emelene (Patrick) Faire.

Raymond and Thelma Forrester were married March 25, 1945. Out of this union came a son, Gary R. Faire, who survives. Thelma passed away in October 1979. He later married Effie Dorris in Jackson on March 14, 1980.

Raymond was the oldest of 12 children and grew up in 34 Corner in Mississippi County, Missouri. He attended Lower Crosnoe Elementary School at 34 Corner. He was a 1940 graduate of East Prairie (Missouri) High School.

Raymond worked on the family farm and went to work for Story's Farm in Wolf Island, Missouri, after high-school graduation.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II in 1945 and served until 1947. After his military service, he moved back home to Wolf Island and later moved to East Prairie and worked at Budget Laundry.

In 1950, he moved to Anna, Illinois, to work for Loomis Brothers, where he installed laundry and dry-cleaning equipment. Raymond went to work for Lewis Brothers Bakeries in Anna in 1957 and retired in 1985 after 28 years of service.

He then took on the challenge of building a home for Effie and himself in Benton, Missouri. He did all the work, being self-taught in many areas.

He came out of retirement and worked for Riverside Lumber, Pocahontas Lumber, Kay's Merchandise and Lowe's. He retired for the last time due to his health.

Raymond was a member of Lynwood Baptist Church and a former member of the First Pentecostal Church in Cape Girardeau.

Raymond was extremely talented and self-taught in many areas, such as radio repair, general electrician, plumber, carpenter and certified welder, and was a millwright most of his life.

His hobbies included reading, gardening, traveling, square dancing, collecting antique tools, working with the Explorer Scouts, playing baseball from the age of 6 to 32 and teaching the fundamentals of baseball to younger kids. He was dearly loved and will be greatly missed.

Survivors include his wife, Effie Faire of Cape Girardeau; a son, Gary R. (Linda) Faire of Jonesboro, Illinois; two brothers, Fred S. (Betty) Fair of Eldon, Missouri, and Herschel "Glenn" Faire of Jackson; three sisters, Shelby J. Wood of Hornbeak, Tennessee, Betty (Howard) Douglas of Scott City and Faye (Gary) Waterhouse of Kansas City, Missouri; three grandsons, Raymond "Doug" (Barb) Faire of Northbrook, Ontario, Canada, Brian "Scott" (Lori) Faire of Cape Girardeau and Jerome (Tasha) Faire of Jonesboro; great grandchildren, Trace and Mariah Faire of Jonesboro; step-great-grandchildren, Bobby Brown and Shana Dillon of Montreal, Quebec, Canada; step-great-great-grandson, Charles John Douglas Raymond; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife, Thelma Faire; three brothers, Delbert, William and John Thomas "J.T." Faire; and three sisters, Lucille Rhodes, Marion "Ruth" Clifft and Dorothy Wilson.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Mark Anderson officiating.

Burial with full military honors will follow at Fairmount Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Gary, Doug, Jerome, Trace and Glenn Faire and William Dorris. Honorary pallbearers will be Scott Faire and Cecil Dorris.

Memorial donations may be given to Lynwood Baptist Church.

Online condolences may be shared at fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.