Obituary of Raymond Hutt Meredith

Raymond H. Meredith, 83, died January 1, 2005 at his home in Olympia, in the care of his family and Hospice. He was born in Raymond, Washington on January 30, 1921. He graduated from Raymond High School in 1938 and from the University of Washington in 1942. He joined the US Marine Corp as an officer shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served in the 1st Marine Division for three years in the Pacific and saw action in three landings: New Britain, Peleliu and Okinawa. He left the Marines as a Major in 1945. In 1950, he married Jeanne Johnson of Seattle who preceded him in death in 1998. They had four children; Janet Meredith of Bainbridge Island, Mark Meredith of Eagle River, Alaska, Todd Meredith of Duluth, Minn. and Ann Johnson of Rathdrum, Idaho; also nine grandchildren. He married Jane M. Schafer of Olympia in 2001. After the war, he purchased a business from his father, a variety store in Raymond. This business grew and expanded to other locations in Western Washington. By the early 1970’s the business had changed to Hallmark Cards and Gift shops. From which he retired in 1983. After retiring he spent winters in Palm Desert, where he played a lot of tennis. He also enjoyed fishing and duck hunting. Ray and his family moved from Raymond to Olympia in 1964. He was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church. He served on the boards of the Bank of Olympia, The Evergreen State College, Olympia Rotary, The Salvation Army and the St. Peter’s Foundation. In Raymond he served on the boards of the Raymond Foundation, Raymond Federal Savings and Loan, Harbor Community Bank and the Raymond Library.