Obituary for Raymond Lee Stevens (rls) [as written by Ray]

Raymond Lee Stevens was born in southeast Missouri on August 19, 1951 in Ironton, Missouri to Adrian Van Buren Stevens and Retha Irene Berry Stevens. RLS was raised on a rocky farm (cattle and trees) on Dry Creek, Missouri south of Fredericktown. RLS graduated from Fredericktown High School in 1969 and worked three summers for the Missouri State Highway Dept while attending college at night. RLS married Sheila Marie Wright on April 3rd 1971 and they drove the 63 Chevy to Rolla, Missouri with her family's black & white tv and my family's refrigerator. RLS finished a BS in Civil Engineering (cum laude) on May 13, 1973, and went to work for Texaco Inc. in Port Arthur, Texas on May 21, 1973 and the fun began.........:-)

homes of Ray & Sheila Stevens:::::::::::

1973-1978, July......................Groves, Texas---Texaco Inc.

1978-1985, August.................Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia---loanee to Aramco

1985-1990, December...........Baton Rouge, Louisiana---Texaco Inc.

1990-1998, December...........Dhahran, Saudi Arabia---transferee to Saudi Aramco

1999-2010, April......................Houston, Texas---contractor for ExxonMobil

Raymond met Sheila Wright at the 2nd Baptist Church in Fredericktown where she played the piano. They went on their 1st date to the Fredericktown High School Homecoming in Oct. 1967. They married in the same church on April 3rd, 1971. RLS leaves two children, son Chris (wife Kim) and daughter Brandi. Chris & Kim have two children and live in the New Orleans area, Sydney 8, and Brody 6. Brandi lives in London, England with her son Moisis 2.

In high school, RLS was the center on the Blackcats basketball team, a member of Beta Club and President of the Student Council. RLS interests in Engineering peaked early---3rd grade, rls attended grade school 1-8 south of Fredericktown at Mill Creek. After noticing his best friend left town on a transfer......:-(---his dad was a mining engineer from University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). There were a couple other transfers in high school and rls had the bug to be an engineer. Civil was chosen to facilitate better chance of outside work---being raised on a farm was good. It allowed for long summer vacations with the family starting in 1958, 17 states west of the Mississippi River was the first big vacation. By choosing the oil business for the career the travel got better---Texas, Middle East, Louisiana, back to Middle East and return to Texas. RLS finished his colorful career as a contractor for ExxonMobil in Baytown, Texas.

Raymond loved sports, playing and watching: St. Louis Cardinals, LSU, Houston Texans, etc. RLS was a self-taught tennis player, as anyone that played with him knew. It was called 'unorthodox' or painful. The 1st racket was wooden, purchased with S&H Green stamps.

Raymond loved all kinds of music, especially country. He liked to say, the only college classes he ever failed were dancing. The beat was in his head just didn't reach his feet.......:-) However, rls did DANCE.............:-)

As much as rls enjoyed traveling in the USA and abroad, his favorite place was at home with his family & friends. He never met a stranger, could walk in a room of people and leave knowing their names and stories. He was infamous for his love of taking pictures and organizing them and sharing them thru e-mails. The 'Bud Light Report' was enjoyed by many and he loved the replies. He took great pride in washing his vehicles.

He would even vacuum the street.........:-)

Raymond wouldn't want you to mourn long but think of him and smile, see a Bud Light and smile, remember a joke or a story he told and smile..............:-) He spent his life, dancing his way with Sheila, The Queen, and loved every minute of it.................:-)

In lieu of flowers you can send donations to the Baylor College of Medicine by clicking on the link below:

Ray wanted any donations to go towards the "Research Fund" In Memory of Raymond Lee Stevens

http://www.bcm.edu/advancement/

Upon selecting this link you would select DONATE NOW in the top right of the page.

Visitation; 5:00 P.M. Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at the Follis and Sons Funeral Home

Funeral Service; 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at the Follis and Sons Chapel

Officiating; Bro. Robert Don Wright

Interment; Mt. Pisgah Cemetery