Son of Fanny Kent and Edwin Ray Oxford. Like his father, he answered to his middle name, expect when he was young and was called Rayboy (A name which he detested by the time he was a teen..., yet quietly accepted from all relatives EXCEPT his little brother!).
Following his seventeenth birthday, Ray enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on July 19, 1951. He served in Korea during the Conflict and was extremely proud of his service to our country. He told his little brother that he wouldn't take any amount of money for the time he spent in the Marine Corps, but that he would give all the wealth he might ever acquire to avoid repeating the experience. He convinced that little brother to follow the footsteps of their oldest brother, and to join the Air Force. But..., HE was Semper Fi through and through.
After his military service, Ray met and married Marilyn and she provided him a daughter and five sons. The family eventually moved from the Chicago Metro Area to Colorado. He loved the Rocky Mountains and would talk of their majesty at any available opportunity.
While riding his motorcycle in 1974, he was struck by an inattentive driver and he suffered major head injuries. Consequently, he and his family had to deal with, and adjust to, many hardships due to his health problems over the following years. But, there was always pride and love of family in his conversations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(A permanent online Legacy.com Guest Book has been created in his memory.)
Following his seventeenth birthday, Ray enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on July 19, 1951. He served in Korea during the Conflict and was extremely proud of his service to our country. He told his little brother that he wouldn't take any amount of money for the time he spent in the Marine Corps, but that he would give all the wealth he might ever acquire to avoid repeating the experience. He convinced that little brother to follow the footsteps of their oldest brother, and to join the Air Force. But..., HE was Semper Fi through and through.
After his military service, Ray met and married Marilyn and she provided him a daughter and five sons. The family eventually moved from the Chicago Metro Area to Colorado. He loved the Rocky Mountains and would talk of their majesty at any available opportunity.
While riding his motorcycle in 1974, he was struck by an inattentive driver and he suffered major head injuries. Consequently, he and his family had to deal with, and adjust to, many hardships due to his health problems over the following years. But, there was always pride and love of family in his conversations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(A permanent online Legacy.com Guest Book has been created in his memory.)
Son of Fanny Kent and Edwin Ray Oxford. Like his father, he answered to his middle name, expect when he was young and was called Rayboy (A name which he detested by the time he was a teen..., yet quietly accepted from all relatives EXCEPT his little brother!).
Following his seventeenth birthday, Ray enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on July 19, 1951. He served in Korea during the Conflict and was extremely proud of his service to our country. He told his little brother that he wouldn't take any amount of money for the time he spent in the Marine Corps, but that he would give all the wealth he might ever acquire to avoid repeating the experience. He convinced that little brother to follow the footsteps of their oldest brother, and to join the Air Force. But..., HE was Semper Fi through and through.
After his military service, Ray met and married Marilyn and she provided him a daughter and five sons. The family eventually moved from the Chicago Metro Area to Colorado. He loved the Rocky Mountains and would talk of their majesty at any available opportunity.
While riding his motorcycle in 1974, he was struck by an inattentive driver and he suffered major head injuries. Consequently, he and his family had to deal with, and adjust to, many hardships due to his health problems over the following years. But, there was always pride and love of family in his conversations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(A permanent online Legacy.com Guest Book has been created in his memory.)
Following his seventeenth birthday, Ray enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on July 19, 1951. He served in Korea during the Conflict and was extremely proud of his service to our country. He told his little brother that he wouldn't take any amount of money for the time he spent in the Marine Corps, but that he would give all the wealth he might ever acquire to avoid repeating the experience. He convinced that little brother to follow the footsteps of their oldest brother, and to join the Air Force. But..., HE was Semper Fi through and through.
After his military service, Ray met and married Marilyn and she provided him a daughter and five sons. The family eventually moved from the Chicago Metro Area to Colorado. He loved the Rocky Mountains and would talk of their majesty at any available opportunity.
While riding his motorcycle in 1974, he was struck by an inattentive driver and he suffered major head injuries. Consequently, he and his family had to deal with, and adjust to, many hardships due to his health problems over the following years. But, there was always pride and love of family in his conversations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(A permanent online Legacy.com Guest Book has been created in his memory.)
