Raymond Mahonrie Willis

Raymond Mahonrie Willis

January 2, 1925 ~ September 19, 2015

World War II Veteran

Raymond Mahonrie Willis was born on January 2, 1925 in Mesa, Arizona and passed away on September 19, 2015 in Ogden, Utah at the age of 90.  He was the ninth and youngest child of Richard Merril and Mary Jensen Willis.

In July 1943 Ray joined the Coast Guard which gave him the opportunity to travel the United States from coast to coast many times.  He was a radio technician as part of the Long Range Navigational Unit on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Ray attended Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona and it was across the table in chemistry lab that he met his sweetheart, Barbara Jean Williams.  They were married on December 22, 1946 and later sealed in the Los Angeles LDS Temple.  They were married sixty-three years until her death on February 10, 2010.

Ray spent most of his working career with the Bureau of Reclamation; first as an operator at Parker Dam, California and in 1955 he transferred to Folsom Dam, California as an operator later becoming chief of operations until he retired in 1980.

Ray is survived by his three children, Ron (Sandy) of Ogden; Sandra Behrmann of Sandy;  and Kathy (Dean) Schultz of Mission Viejo, California; 19 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews; brothers-in-law, Robert (Barbara) and Richard (Lee) Williams.

Ray always felt so blessed in his life.  He enjoyed serving in the church, meeting people, and loved his family.

Ray was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara; parents, Richard and Mary; five sisters, three brothers, grandson, Marc Willis Behrmann; and great-granddaughter, Kydalynn Evans.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 25, 2015 at 11 a.m. at the  Washington Terrace 13th Ward Chapel, 4855 South 300 West, Ogden.  Friends may visit with family on Friday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church.  Interment, Riverside National Cemetery, in Riverside, CA at a later date.  Services entrusted to Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary.