With thanks to our List-subscriber Sarah for letting me know, I was sad to learn that this dear man, who was helpful in our Poythress research in the 1990s, died two weeks ago. I also learned of the death of his brother Leon, just 7 months earlier (see separate message today for him). Raymond (and Leon) were grandsons of Joshua E. Poythress & Bettie Wester, and great-grandsons of John Lewis Poythress & Tabitha Ann Nunn. Raymond and his family, and my family and I, lived in the Norfolk & Virginia Beach area, overlapping for 5 yrs in the 1970s, but we never met then. I was privileged to meet Raymond and his sweet wife Elvin, and to be a guest for one night in their home in May 1999 (during the same trip when I met Bud, and when a bunch of us had our Poythress-researchers dinner in Richmond, VA). To supplement his obituary, I'll share with you quotations and info about him from a few of his emails to me through the years: "While traveling from Wellington, New Zealand, to invade Guadalcanal in August, 1942, we attempted to practice landing on one of the Fiji islands. We couldn't make it ashore as we ran into coral and had to return to the ship. We had to sit on the bottom of a tank landing ship, with no tank, all the way to shore and back. I have never been so sea sick in my life. We invaded Guadalcanal on August 7, and stayed there until December 4, being bombed every day, and bombed and shelled many nights. Fortunately we only lost one man from our company, E Company of the First Medical Battalion, First Marine Division." He mentioned that he had served at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Washington, DC, from November 1952 to September 1955. He said that he and LeRoof Poythress had been shipmates, being both stationed at Atlantic Fleet Headquarters, when Raymond had been chief hospital corpsman assigned to the Fleet Medical Office from October 1955 to October of 1958. He retired from the Navy on 9 September 1966. He said he was a "retired Master Chief Hospital Corpsman, U. S. Navy, and also a retired Field Tax Auditor, State of VA. After retiring from the latter job, we moved back to NC. We have been back home since 1978." Raymond was very active for many years with his church. He served as a deacon; began a deacon ministry; was chairman of the budget committee; cemetery trustee; counting committee; usher; and in the Fall of 1994 ensured the installation of a sound system and chimes. When he last emailed me (Nov 2005, just before he turned 87) he was very appreciative of his fellow church members who had been taking him to and from the clinic for appointments. His obituary in The News & Observer newspaper (which serves the Triangle area of NC: Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill), appeared on Sunday, 15 Jan 2006: "C. Raymond Poythress, Sr. Nov. 28, 1918 - Jan. 13, 2006 ZEBULON - Claude Raymond Poythress, Sr., 87, of Adna Pearce Rd., died Friday afternoon at WakeMed. He was born in Franklin County, the son of the late John William and Myla Young Poythress. Mr. Poythress retired from the US Navy as Master Chief Hospital Corpsman with 28 years of service and also retired with the Virginia Employment Commission as Tax Auditor. He was a member of the Whitestone Masonic Lodge. Funeral service will be held 11:00am Tuesday at Pearce Baptist Church. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with Military Honors and Masonic Honors. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Elvin Pearce Poythress; son Claude R. "Ray" Poythress, Jr. and wife, Wanda of Spring Hill, TN; daughters, Dianne P. Mullins and husband, Howard of Ione, Oregon, Sharon P. Becker and husband, Edward "Butch" of Baltimore, Md; sister, Edna P. Pernell of Warrenton; 10 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Flowers accepted or memorials may be made to Pearce Baptist Church, 4634 Pearces Rd., Zebulon, NC 27597. The family will receive friends following the service in the church annex. Arrangements by Strickland Funeral Home, Wendell."