Raymond Franklin Reeser

Celebration of Life Services for Raymond F. Reeser will be held on Friday, November 2, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. at the Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Holdrege, Nebraska with Pastor Paul Bauman, Pastor Murray Jones and Chaplain DeWane Dow, officiating.  Interment will be held following the services in the Prairie Home Cemetery in Holdrege.

Raymond Franklin Reeser, 93 years of age, of Holdrege, passed away on Monday, October 29, 2018 at Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings, Nebraska.  Ray was born April 7, 1925 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the youngest of six children born to Harvey Parke and Ada Irene (Wanner) Reeser.  He received his primary education from schools in Lancaster County, and then attended Coatesville High School in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, graduating with the class of 1943.  Following graduation, Ray began to work at New Holland Machine Company in New Holland, Pennsylvania.

In May of 1944, Ray was inducted into the United States Navy, where he served his country in aviation maintenance during WWII, and was honorably discharged in March of 1946.

On July 21, 1945, he was united in marriage to his high school sweetheart, Charlotte Esther Regener at Coatesville, and to this union the couple were blessed with three children: Charles, Janet and Thomas. The family made their home in Christiana, Pennsylvania, where Ray pursued higher education during night school at Pennsylvania State Extension College, graduating with a Bachelors degree in Engineering.  Ray was employed by New Holland as an engineer in several locations with the company that included:  New Holland, PA, Grand Island, Nebraska, Melbourne, Australia, and Fresno, California, retiring in 1985.  In 1997, Ray and Charlotte relocated to Holdrege to be near family.

Ray was a talented woodworker, enjoyed tending to his garden, loved to barbeque and was famous for his barbeque chicken.  Ray was very family oriented, loved to attend all of his grandchildren's activities, and in later years he enjoyed spending time with his great-grandchildren.

He was a faithful member of the Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Holdrege, and as a devoted Christian, his faith and family were always in the forefront of his life.  Ray served many short-term mission trips overseas that included:  Mongolia, Belgium, and China.  He was also very active with the Gideon's International Ministry, and was a past member of the Kiwanis Club.  Throughout the years, Ray enjoyed giving back to his community and church.  In Pennsylvania, Ray and Charlotte assisted with several church planting activities, which helped establish new congregations within the EFCA.  He also served on several local and national church boards, was a former city councilman in New Holland and Grand Island, and was a former board member of the Christian Homes Care Community in Holdrege.

Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his father-in-law and mother-in-law:  John and Edna Regener; four brothers: Harold Reeser; Kurtz Reeser and his wife, Dorothy; Harvey Reeser and his first wife, Verna; and Charles Reeser; one sister, Sarah Lindecamp and her husband, Clarence; and a host of brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law on Charlotte's side of the family.

Ray leaves to celebrate his life; his wife of 73 years, Charlotte Reeser of Holdrege; two sons: Charles Reeser and his wife, Patricia of Holdrege; and Thomas Reeser and his wife, Sheila, of Lincoln, Nebraska; one daughter, Jan Reeser and her partner, Muriel Dimock of Red Wing, Minnesota; eleven grandchildren; fifteen great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law:  Shirley Reeser of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania; Millie Alexander of Coatesville; and Kathy Regener of Lititz, Pennsylvania; brother-in-law, Mervin Regener and his wife, Nancy of York, Pennsylvania; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 1, 2018 from 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. with the family greeting from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege.

A memorial has been established in Ray's honor, and kindly suggested to the Evangelical Free Church of America to support missions or Gideon's International.

Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com

The Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege is in charge of the arrangements.