Obituary of Ronald John Raymond
South Plainfield – Ronald John Raymond, 81, passed away Friday morning, March 7, 2025.
Born in Jersey City to the late Robert and Florence (Rahn) Raymond, Ronald resided in North Jersey before settling to South Plainfield in 1965. A truck driver by profession, he retired from Arko Paper Products Co. Inc. in Piscataway.
An antique car enthusiast and collector, Ronald belonged to numerous car clubs last one being Street Dreams where he showed his 1956 Chevy Bel Air. Other cars in his collection were a 1956 Ford Fairlane, 1956 Ford Thunderbird convertible, 1966 Pontiac GTO convertible, and a 2003 Corvette convertible (he had to try a modern corvette). He enjoyed fixing cars as well as tinkering around the house singing “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” all year round.
As for tinkering around the house, he typically was remodeling some part of the house every year for years until it was how his wife and he wanted it. He could fix or upgrade almost anything and had the collection of tools to do it. He even incorporated modern technology such as a smart thermostat, remote controlled blinds and electric automated faucet in the kitchen.
He spent many years enjoying his boat at his lake house on Lake Wallenpaupack. He loved to socialize with friends, several he met at the many car shows, and family and neighbors that became family. He had to keep a calendar book to keep track of all the car shows and other activities which kept him busy. His family and friends were very important to him. There were weekly gatherings of some of the couples (car club friends) going to dinner. He also loved the holidays, especially Christmas, and parties.
Predeceased by his siblings, his twin Robert Raymond, Jean Raymond and Alan Raymond; surviving are his wife of 59 years, Silke (Traeger) Raymond; three children, Stephen Weber and wife Joy, Rhonda Benitez and husband Mario, and Ronald Raymond and wife Charlene. His sisters, Barbara (Wynkoop), Arline (Reardon), and brother Brian Raymond and wife Debra. He will also be missed by his three granddaughters, Summer, Sarah and Skyler; nieces, nephews and extended family.
A memorial gathering will be held on Sunday, May 4, 2025 from 2-4PM in the McCriskin – Gustafson Home For Funerals, 2425 Plainfield Avenue South Plainfield NJ 07080.