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Major Raymond Henry Edgerly

October 8, 1919 - January 5, 2018

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Raymond Henry Edgerly was born October 8, 1919 in St. Louis, Missouri.  He moved with his family to California in 1926.  He had attended Compton Junior College, where he met Dorthea, who he later married.   A year later he enlisted in the 40th Division, California Guard in the spring of 1940.  The 40th was federalized March 3, 1941 and sent to Camp San Louis Obispo.  Ray was in an Ambulance Company, attended Medical Technicians School and had been promoted to Sergeant by the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. He was on pass and visiting Dorthea at her home in Downey that day and heard that all passes were canceled and to report back to camp. 

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Ray’s duties took him on frequent trips between Fort MacArthur and Camp Hann in Riverside which allowed him to drop notes off in Downey for Dorthea.  They got married April 4, 1942.  He was selected to attend Officers’ Candidate School and graduated July 22, 1942 as a Second Lieutenant in class number 1, Medical Service Corps, the only Army medical branch that could not command a medical unit.

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In 1943, he was transferred to a Medical unit and served as a platoon leader in an eight ambulance platoon in the North African Campaign.  Later, he served with units conducting anti-submarine warfare along the South American Coast.  Ray did not talk much about his deployment to North Africa.   Of his several decorations, the one he was most proud was his Combat Medical Badge.  His claim to fame was belonging to the “Old Brown Shoe Army” before Pearl Harbor."  Ray was separated from the Army in November 1945.  He continued his service after the war, as a Reserve Officer, with periods of active duty and training, until his retirement in 1979, after thirty-nine years of service.

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His medals include: Bronze Star, Army Achievement Medal, American Defense Medal, American Campaign Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, European-African-Middle East Campaign with Oak Leaf Cluster, WWII Victory Medal, WWII Occupation Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with three Hourglasses, and Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal.

After separation from the Army, Ray graduated with a Master’s Degree in Medical Parasitology from the University of Southern California Medical School and he received a Master’s in Public Health Degree from the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley.  He managed to serve in three Health Departments, as Deputy Health Officer. These were: Riverside, Los Angeles City and Orange County.  He served as a Deputy Health Officer in Orange County until his retirement in 1983.  While working with restaurant health inspections, Ray was proud that he got Orange County to adopt an ABC grading system.

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In 1991 Ray heard of the 63rd Infantry Division Association, USAR which was associated with one of the Reserve organizations he had been assigned to.  They held an annual reunion dinner to allow former members to renew friendships. Ray was looking for something like the Association so he joined and became a Life Member in 1991. Ray became active and was elected to the Board of Governors in 1997.  He accepted the Treasure‘s job in 1999 and held that position until 2009.  At that time he became a member of the Board of Governors Emeritus.  He attended meetings and reunions until 2016 when it became too difficult to attend.  Dorthea, Ray’s wife confided with my wife that the activity and challenges of serving on the Board of Governors kept him alive and active for many years.  We had a Retirement Luncheon on August 2009 at the Oceanside Jolly Roger Restaurant (one of Ray’s favorite restaurants).  It was well attended by Board Members, friends and family.  We met Cyndi, Ray’s daughter, and his two granddaughters, Jacqui and Alli while they were visiting Ray and Dorthea.

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 I was on the Board serving as Secretary when Ray joined the board and we hit it off right away.  In those days the wives or significant other accompanied the board members to the meetings.  We usually had 6 to 9 women sitting at a table near our meeting. They became our woman’s auxiliary.  Many of the Board Members spent the night before our Annual Reunion Meeting at the hotel.  We would meet early and have cocktails, snacks and then go out for dinner. Our axillary planned these social gatherings.  When Ray joined the Board as Treasurer in 1999, Dorthea joined too.  For many years Ray got an extra-large hotel room and hosted the Saturday evening social gathering in his room.

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 In 2004 my wife and I moved to Oceanside and found Ray and Dorthea lived only two miles away. On our first visit to his home we were impressed with all of the paintings Ray had hanging in his home that he had painted.  He had a lot of framed pictures just leaning against the walls waiting their turn to be rotated into his gallery. He was very good and very prolific with his art talent. Every time we visited Ray, he had to show us all of the new paintings.  We found that we shared October as the birthday month for Ray, Dorthea, and my wife Rae Ann and always celebrated together with a birthday luncheon.

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Ray read a lot and it was mostly nonfiction; - histories, military and otherwise, about people and the times.  His library was large and he liked to talk about what he read. Sharing his thoughts with us and if we seemed interested, he sometimes would loan us some of his books.  When I was editor of the BLADE newsletter, I could always count on Ray to give me a column of fascinating reading, be it a book review or a war story to fill the page I needed when I ran out of material.

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Ray had a love for working with and growing plants around his house and garden.  He took to using his computer easily. He also built some electronic kits just to try to understand some simple electronics.  He soldered all the components together.  When he was finished he had an array of small circuits with randomly flashing lights which he proudly displayed on a wall in his living room.

 

He and Dorthea were deeply involved in genealogy and had their family histories printed in hard covered books.  Ray took three sets of the 63rd Infantry Division Association, USAR Annual Reports and had them bound into a set of books and presented two bound copies to the Association. He had many interests.

 

We ride shared driving from Oceanside to Placentia to our quarterly Board meetings, all four of us. We got to know each other better.  We both had cars with veteran’s license plates with the 63rd Division insignia on it. The state issued these stickers and in a year or two the sun faded the “Flaming Blade”   into a funny looking pastel knife. The state replaced our decals once and did not reorder more.  After that, Ray and I started repainting our decals back to their original Flaming glory. 

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We were all surprised when Dorthea passed away on April 4, 2011 on their 69th wedding anniversary.  She went very quickly.  I think we thought she would out live Ray.  Ray stayed active and attended the Annual Meetings of the Association every year through 2016.  He was still alert when he spoke to the meeting telling one of his many Army stories.  Rae Ann and I would get together periodically with Ray for a glass of wine or to go to one of our two favorite restaurants, the Jolly Roger on Oceanside Harbor or the On the Border in Escondido.

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We noticed that Ray was slowing down with his walker and in other little ways as his 99 years were taking their toll.  He was a great Soldier and Friend. We will miss him.

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Remarks in honor to Ray Edgerly made at the Riverside National Cemetery by LTC Donald Wirth, US Army Ret

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In Memorial

MAJOR RAYMOND HENRY EDGERLY

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          Ray's Daughter's

         Tribute to her father

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MAJOR Raymond Henry Edgerly, often called "Ray," was born October 8,1919, in St. Louis, Missouri. He descended from Judge Thomas Edgerly who arrived at the Oyster River Settlement, New Hampshire from England in 1665. He was tthe ninth in his line, which included solders who fought in every major War in this country's history. Several of his Puritan progenitors arrived with John Winthrop's fleet in 1630.

 

He was most proud of his grandfather 5 generations ago who stormed the bastion of Louisburg, Nova Scotia with General Pepperell in 1745; of James, his great, great grandfather who served with General John Sullivan in 1776; and of his grandfather Major Henry Clay Edgerly who was wounded at Seven Pines, in 1863, while serving with the Michigan 5th Infantry and later, became the Commanding Officer of the 8th Michigan Cavalry.

Raymond received most of his education in California where his family moved via the old plank road near Yuma in 1926, Parts of the old road can still be seen.

 

He attended Compton Junior College, where he met Dorthea, who was destined to become Mrs. Edgerly in early 1942.

He was an active member of the 40th Division, California National Guard in 1940, and rendered service to the State of California until his unit was federalized in early 1941. He was selected and completed training in battlefield surgery and medical aid at Ft. Bliss, Texas in 1941. He was selected to attend Officer' Candidate School at Abilene, Texas and graduated in July 1942, as a Second Lieutenant, class number one, Medical Service Corps.In 1943, he was transferred to a Medical unit and served in the North African Campaign. Later, he served with units conducting anti-submarine warfare along the South American Coast. Of his several decorations, the one he was most proud, was his Medical Combat Badge and his claim to have belonged to the Old Brown Shoe Army "before Pearl Harbor."

He continued his service after the war, as a Reserve Officer, with periods of active duty, until his retirement in 1979, after thirty-nine years of service.

 

During these years, he was graduated with a Masters Degree in Medical Parasitology from the University of Southern California Medical School and he received a Masters in Public Health Degree from the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley.

 

Between his service in the Army, he managed to serve in three Health Departments, as Deputy Health Officer. These were: Riverside, Los Angeles City and Orange County. He served as a Deputy Health Officer in Orange County until his retirement in 1983.

 

He served as a Board Member and Treasurer to the Oceanside Manor Home Owners Association for eight years. He was a member of the Carlsbad Genealogical Society; a Life member of the Reserve Officers Association and a Life Member of the 63D Infantry Division Association where he served as a member of the Board of Governors and as Treasurer.

 

Raymond was a private man, an intellectual who was an avid reader of history, with special interest in the Civil War, science and biography hi 1943, he was transferred to a Medical unit and served in the North African Campaign. Later, he served with units conducting anti-submarine warfare along the South American Coast. Of his several decorations, the one he was most proud, was his Medical Combat Badge and his claim to have belonged to the Old Brown Shoe Army "before Pearl Harbor."

 

He continued his service after the war, as a Reserve Officer, with periods of active duty, until his retirement in 1979, after thirty-nine years of service.

 

During these years, he was graduated with a Masters Degree in Medical Parasitology from the University of Southern California Medical School and he received a Masters in Public Health Degree from the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley.

 

Between his service in the Army, he managed to serve in three Health Departments, as Deputy Health Officer. These were: Riverside, Los Angeles City and Orange County. He served as a Deputy Health Officer in Orange County until his retirement in 1983.

He served as a Board Member and Treasurer to the Oceanside Manor Home Owners Association for eight years. He was a member of the Carlsbad Genealogical Society; a Life member of the Reserve Officers Association and a Life Member of the 63D Infantry Division Association where he served as a member of the Board of Governors and as Treasurer.

Raymond was a private man, an intellectual who was an avid reader of history, with special interest in the Civil War, science and biography.