PECK, Raymond Ronald

Raymond (Ray) Ronald Peck, Army Veteran, Church Elder, Devoted Husband and Father, 79, of Dublin, Va., went to be with the Lord on August 9, 2006. He passed peacefully with friends and loved ones in his home after a nine month battle with cancer.

Ray was born on July 31, 1927 and raised in Kalkaska, Mich. He was the son of the late Charles Peck and Carrie Burkle Peck and was the youngest of six siblings. Upon graduating Kalkaska High School in 1945, he was drafted into the US Army and served his country honorably and with a passion for over 20 years while raising five children with his beloved first wife, Helga, who passed away in 1976.

Ray retired at Ft. Meade Maryland in 1965 at the rank of Sergeant (Spc. 6). During his military career, Ray was stationed at many locations abroad including Austria and Germany. He trained as a linguist at Fort Ord in Monterey, Calif. and spoke fluent Russian and German. This was training that was especially valuable to his country when stationed in Frankfurt Germany from 1960-1964 and working in Military Intelligence.

Upon retirement from the Army, he entered the federal civil service where he worked for the Army at Fort Holabird in Baltimore Maryland from 1966-1969 and then as an Education Specialist for the Marine Corps in Washington DC from 1969 until retiring with 37 total years of distinguished service in 1983. About that time, he also met and fell in love his second wife, Joy and they were married in late 1983.

Ray earned his BA degree from the University of Maryland in 1965 and completed 30 hours of post graduate work, also at College Park. Wherever Ray was stationed during active duty or lived after retirement, his family, being active in the church and serving his fellow man always remained the driving force in his life.

After moving from the Fort Meade area to Pulaski in 1988, he and his wife have have been active members in the First Christian Church in Pulaski and enjoyed singing in the choir. Ray was a church Elder, lead bible studies and frequently visited the elderly at that homes. Throughout his life, he was a devoted husband, father to his children and servant in his community. He was a gentle giant and everyone that ever met him, loved him. He impacted many, many lives in a very positive way.

He leaves to cherish fond memories, his wife of 23 years, Carol Joy Peck; three sons, Michael C. Peck (55) of San Francisco, Calif., Kenneth B. Peck (53) of Orlando, Fla. and Steven E. Peck (45) of Hunt Valley, Md.; two daughters, Evelyne E. Nye (57) and Jeanette Cheney (51) of Columbia Falls, Mont.; two stepdaughters, Wanda Samples (45) of Odenton, Md. and Francis Lagana (39) of Accokeek, Md. Also surviving Ray are one brother, Donald C. Peck (82) of Covington, La.; 10 grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. His first wife of 26 years, Helga Elis Peck, died in 1976.

A memorial service will be held Tuesday, August 15, 2006 at 1 p.m. at the First Christian Church in Pulaski with the Rev. Randy Winn officiating. The family will receive friends at the church from 12 noon to 1 p.m. the same day. Interment and full military honors will take place at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., on September 21, 2006 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in Mr. Peck’s memory to the: New Building Fund
Attn: Mary Ellen Barb
First Christian Church
524 N. Jefferson Avenue
Pulaski, Virginia 24301
(540) 980-7144
Cremation Society of Virginia/Southwest is serving the Peck Family.