Cover photo for Raymond Doubleday's Obituary
Raymond Doubleday Profile Photo
1923 Raymond 2013

Raymond Doubleday

July 29, 1923 — May 22, 2013

Raymond Doubleday of Taylor Bridge Road Lebanon died May 22nd. He was born July 29, 1923 in Colchester, the son of Burdette and Emma (Baumberger) Doubleday. A member of the Greatest Generation, he was part of the D-Day invasion, paratrooping into France as a member of the First Division (the Big Red ONE). Unfortunately, he was captured a few days later and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner. He was a recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Mr. Doubleday was a life member of VFW Post 9452 Preston and the National Rifle Association. After the war he married his war sweetheart Stella Gocka of Norwich at the Sacred Heart Church in Norwichtown in January 1946. They built a home on McClellan Ave. in Norwichtown where they began their family. In 1965 Ray and Stella moved to Lebanon and began homesteading in earnest. Stella gardened a large plot and put up lots of canned goods, and together they took care of the cows, chickens, and pigs. It was an ideal life for both of them. Ray retired from several regional jobs in 1980. This enabled him to pursue his two favorite pastimes; Hunting and Fishing. He was a passionate fly fisherman, fishing the Yantic River with flies tied by his Stella. Most days on the river he was able to catch his limit as well as help others to do the same. His hunting was done on his family farm in Bozrah as well as the State preserve property behind their house. His Army Expert Marksman rank gave the local deer little hope. A 10 point buck from the Doubleday Farm was his best deer trophy and was ranked by Boone and Crockett. He was predeceased by his wife Stella in 1988. He is survived by his son Raymond J Doubleday and his wife Jamie, three grandchildren, Joshua, Doubleday, Amanda Doubleday and Hannah Thompson and two great grandchildren Robert Blair and Naomi Thompson. He is also survived by his brother Donald of Norwich and sister Evelyn Sawicki of Preston. There are many nieces and nephews. The funeral service will be held at the Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson St., Willimantic on Saturday, June 1, 2013 at 11:00 AM. Burial with Full Military Honors will follow at the New Lebanon Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited to call at the funeral home one hour prior to the service. After Stella's passing his dogs became his closest companions (Melody, Vicky, and Sammy). In Lieu of flowers please consider a donation in his name to: The Connecticut Humane Society, 169 Old Colchester Road, Quaker Hill, CT 06375. Please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com for online memorial guest book.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Raymond Doubleday, please visit our flower store.

Guestbook

Visits: 0

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Send Flowers

Send Flowers

Plant A Tree

Plant A Tree