More detail on this person: Raymond was
surrounded by his family at home when he passed
peacefully into the arms of Jesus, after a long
courageous battle with cancer, on October 29,
2014. Raymond was born March 12, 1942 in
Billings, MT, to Arthur and Betty Seely. He grew
up in Spokane and graduated from Shadle Park
High School in 1960. In college, Raymond met the
love of his life, Luella Marie Johnson, and they
wed on February 3, 1962 in Coeur d'Alene, ID. They
shared 52 adventurous, loving years together,
raising five children in the process. Major
Raymond Seely spent 12 active duty years in the
U.S. Army and is a Vietnam Veteran serving two
tours as a helicopter pilot. He returned home to
Spokane to raise his family a mile from where he
grew up leading to five more Shadle Park
graduates. Raymond spent 28 years working at
Kaiser Aluminum until retiring in 2001. During his
retirement, he spent his leisure time working on
model airplanes and fishing. Raymond especially
loved hanging out at Clear Lake teaching all 13 of
his grandchildren how to fish. He was active in
the Knights of Columbus and presided as the
president of Vietnam Veterans of America.
Raymond is survived by is wife Luella, brother
Richard (Kathy) Seely, sister Maryjane (John)
Coble, son Raymond (Lisa) Seely, daughter Robin
(Dave) Marshall, daughter Rosemarie (Mike) Baker,
son Robert Seely, son Ronald (Michelle) Seely, 13
grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. A
Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, November
1, 2014, 12:00 p.m., at St. Mary's Catholic Church
on 304 S. Adams, Spokane Valley, WA., with a
reception to follow in the Parish Hall, and a
graveside burial will be held Tuesday, November 4,
2014, 11:00 a.m., at Washington State Veterans
Cemetery on 21702 W. Espanola Rd., Medical
Lake, WA. In lieu of flowers, please consider
donating to Vietnam Veterans of America (vva.org)
Published in Spokesman-Review on Oct. 31, 2014
Burial information: Washington State Veterans Cemetery, Medical Lake,
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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