Raymond White Jr.

On Monday, December 5, 2022, Raymond White Jr. was called home to be with the Lord.

Raymond was born September 15, 1947, to the late Raymond White Sr. and the late Johnnie O’Neal Rodgers-Smiley in Lima, Alabama.  He relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, at age five and credited his strong work ethics and dedication to family to his mother, stepfather Willie Smiley, and aunt Ophelia Rodgers.

Raymond was affectionately called Ray by his family and friends. Early on in life, Ray accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. Ray graduated from East Technical High School in 1964 at the age of 17. After graduating, he wanted to see the world, so he enlisted in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam Era. While faithfully serving his country, he worked in telecommunications as a Morse Code Translator. His deployments allowed him to be stationed in Texas, Alaska, Japan, and Korea.

After leaving the military, he returned to Cleveland and worked at ArcelorMittal Steel, where he retired in 2013 after 42 years of service. As a hardworking family man, Ray was married twice and proudly raised four children: Naumi, Raymond, Oni, and Maya.

In Ray’s spare time, he was an avid reader and loved traveling the country, with Las Vegas as one of his favorite destinations. In addition, he made back-to-school shopping a tradition with his children by traveling to New York, the Mall of America in MN, Potomac Mills mall in VA, and countless other cities.

His favorite family tradition was celebrating Christmas Eve, where he could eat fruit cake and watch his beloved grandchildren scream as they opened their gifts. His smile and laughter were contagious. Ray had to the ability to make anyone laugh, even if they were the bud of his jokes.

In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by two sisters: Sally Harris and Etta Mae Williams, and three brothers: Kenneth, Bobby, and Joe White.

He leaves to cherish his memory four children: Naumi Pridgeon (Michael) Ashburn VA, Raymond White III Canton OH, Oni White (Daniel) Mayfield OH, and Maya White Euclid OH; five sisters: Margie Hampton Athens AL, Kathy Bailey & Valerie White Terre Haute IN, Debbie White Randolph NJ, and Jean Walker Easton PA: Three brothers: Stuart White Indianapolis IN, David White Terre Haute IN, and Ronald White Jacksonville FL.

Eight Beloved Grandchildren: Channing, Paige, Jayden, Langston, Logan, Elise, Eden, and Oloni.

Life partner of 19 years, Cheryl Russell; Michael Sr, Sheri, Galaxie and Hunter Quinn and a host of nieces, nephews, and numerous loving relatives and friends.

Friends may call from 10-11:30 am Thursday, December 15, 2022 at the Schlup-Pucak & Wilson Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be held at 11:30 with Minister Michelle Bryant officiating. Burial to follow with military honors at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery.