Obituary of Raymond Weldon

Raymond F. Weldon died peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, March 1, 2014.

Born February 22, 1920 in Philadelphia, he was the fourth of ten children - five boys and five girls. Being part of a large family and growing up during the depression meant that he and his older siblings were forced to find work at a young age. His family's financial constraints were further put to the test when his father died in 1934 and his mother six years later in 1940. In order to help support his siblings, Ray left school after the seventh grade. Like many a young boy, his first job was a paper route delivering the Philadelphia Bulletin. Many other jobs were to follow during his teenage years and early twenties - developing photographs, finishing hardwood floors, and working in a sheet metal factory - to name a few.

Ray met the love of his life, Evelyn, in 1940 and their first date was a walk through Fairmont Park. They dated through the early years of the war. When he was inducted into the Army on May 16, 1944, they decided, like many other young couples, to marry before he was sent overseas. On leave in the fall of 1944, they said "I Do" at a local church on October 4th. Less than a month later, he departed on November 1 on one of the large carrier ships transporting US troops to the European Theater. Little did he know that he was arriving in France as an unseasoned soldier for the last major German offensive campaign of the war - the Battle of the Bulge. Casualties were high during this battle, and Ray was reported missing in action on December 29, 1944. Ray was captured by the Germans in France and spent the next four months held captive by the Germans as a prisoner of war. By spring of 1945, the American and British forces were pushing eastward towards Germany and the Russian army was pushing westward. As they retreated, the German army personnel moved the POWs from location to location. Prisoners were forced to walk, ride on trucks, or be loaded into boxcars. Travelling through Germany at that time, they were exposed to Allied bombing and risk being killed in transit. On April 23, 1945, Ray's camp was liberated by Russians soldiers. Private First Class Ray Weldon returned home on June 17, 1945.

Ray joined the Philadelphia Police in 1950 and retired from the police force in 1977. He and Evelyn welcomed their only child - another Ray - into the world after 15 years of marriage. After retirement from the police force, he worked part-time as a security guard until 1982. In 1988 and 1993, Ray and Evelyn became proud grandparents of Sara and Nick, respectively. Their two grandchildren quickly became their favorite topic of conversation - as other family members can attest, no one had more beautiful, smarter, or talented grandchildren than Ray and Evelyn.

Ray's wife Evelyn died on October 23, 2010. Losing his lifelong companion of sixty-six years was something Ray found difficult to deal with, and he missed her terribly. In February 2011, he moved from Philadelphia to Grace Assisted Living in Moorestown. He made some new friends among the residents and staff there, and often sat at the dinner table with a fellow resident who also fought in the Battle of the Bulge. His health began deteriorating in the last year, and he spoke often of how much he missed Evelyn. One of 16 million veterans who returned home after the war, he succumbed peacefully in his sleep at the age of 94.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Ray and Lea; his two grandchildren, Sara and Nick; and his sister, Mary Rosanova. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to one of the following: The National WWII Museum or the Wounded Warrior Project.

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/give/index.html

https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/Default.aspx?tsid=66&source=WEBSITE