Raymond Lee Harper, 59, of Ceres, California passed away on Saturday, September 16, 2017. He was born on January 17, 1958 in Kansas City, Kansas to Lester Ernest Harper and Evalynn Mae Stroble. He had eleven siblings. Upon graduating from high school as an Eagle Scout, he served in the Army for four years and was stationed in Germany where he worked on testing and firing ballistic missiles. He was honorably discharged from the Army in October, 1981 and moved to California. There, he would eventually meet and marry Linda Teixeira on November 20, 1983. Early on in his marriage, he worked for Loomis as an armored car driver. He and his wife had a baby, Michelle, in 1984. They moved to Patterson in 1987 after he was hired by the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department as a deputy. They had their second daughter, Kimberly, in 1989. He worked with the Sheriff's Department for 24 years and promoted to Sergeant prior to his retirement in 2013. After he retired, he worked for the Sheriff's Department as a reserve for an additional 3 years within the Stanislaus County courthouse as a bailiff. He was a member of the local Ceres Chapter of the Lion's Club and Stanislaus County Deputy Sheriff's Association. He was a parishioner of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Modesto. Ray was passionate about helping and serving others; he loved to barbeque for the different organizations that he belonged to. He also loved being outdoors and camping. He was survived by his two daughters, Michelle Renee Borges of Ceres, California and Kimberly Rachelle Gmachowski, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, their husbands, Christopher Michael Borges and James Ray Gmachowski, and grandchildren: Abigail Serafina Borges, Sophia Renee Borges, Shamus Ross Gmachowski and future grandson Gage Raymond Gmachowski. He was also survived by his ex-wife and best friend, Linda Harper. He has also been survived by his brother and five sisters, and many cousins, nephews and nieces. A viewing with a slideshow will be held from 4-8 PM at Lakewood Funeral Home in Hughson, California, with a Rosary beginning at 7 PM. The funeral will be held at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Modesto on Friday, September 22, 2017 at 10:00 AM, with a celebration of Raymond's life to follow at the American Legion Hall in Ceres, California, immediately following the funeral.