Obituary
Marcie Lynn Raymond, 69, of The Villages, FL, passed away on March 9, after a tough battle with ALS. She is survived by her partner and the love of her life, Randy Losure; her only son, Kyle (Samantha) Raymond of Carbondale, CO; Kyle’s father, Ed Raymond of The Villages, and two beautiful granddaughters, Hazel Marie and Juniper Lynn, who were born just 6 days before Marcie’s death. Marcie met her goal of living until they were born so she could see them, albeit via FaceTime. Marcie was preceded in death by her parents, Woodward and Martha Klewer.
Marcie was one of the smartest people we know (umm, except for geography…). She attended Steinmetz College Prep, Class of 1971, in Chicago, IL. After studying at Northern Illinois University, Marcie received her Masters in Special Education from National Louis University in Chicago. Always meant to be a teacher, she was a special education teacher for more than 30 years at James B. Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, IL, before retiring to The Villages, FL in 2008. She continued her love of education and children by mentoring for several years at The Villages Lady Lake Elementary school where the children, their teachers, and her co-workers all loved her.
Marcie had many interests and friendship circles in The Villages. In addition to mentoring, she loved crafting, particularly making jewelry which she sold and gave away to friends. She was dedicated to maintaining her strong body so spent hours in the gym where she made many friends. She was part of a wonderful neighborhood group who spent many hours with her both before and during her illness. She volunteered her time to the Daybreak Club where she helped people with dementia and Alzheimer’s, as well as to other groups. Marcie was always ready to help wherever her help was needed.
In 2010, Marcie became a member of The Village Sweeties Chapter of the national Sweet Potatoes Queen organization. This “sisterhood” resulted in numerous friendships for Marcie both in The Villages and other parts of the country as well as opportunities to help groups such as Forward Paths, Camp Boggy Creek, Wildwood Middle School, the DAV (Disabled Veterans of America), Honor Flight, and other miscellaneous activities including participation in all of The Villages parades. As one of the earliest members of this local group, Marcie has indeed left a void.
With her beautiful smile, fun-loving spirit, and kind nature, Marcie made friends all over the world, both during her travels and elsewhere, and once you became Marcie’s friend, you were her friend forever. She loved entertaining and made it her mission to gather people together at her home during the holidays if they didn’t have somewhere else to go. For this and all her other wonderful traits, she will be sorely missed, but know we are all toasting her on her new journey.
Special thanks go out to Marcie’s partner, Randy LosureAlthough Marcie wasn’t a big believer in God or the afterlife, it is believed He brought Randy to her at the time in her life, which unbeknownst to them, his love, perseverance, and assistance would be needed by Marcie and he took wonderful care of her until her death.
Thanks also go out to Deanna of Cornerstone Hospice, Marcie’s primary hospice nurse. ALS is truly a horrible disease which incapacitates your body while leaving your brain intact. Due to the difficulty in diagnosing this illness, Marcie suffered terribly and unnecessarily for over two years. Therefore, in lieu of flowers, etc., please consider donating to The National ALS Association at www.ALS.org or to Cornerstone Hospice.
A Celebration of Life for Marcie will be announced later, depending on when the new twins can travel, as the Raymond family wants to be here from CO for this tribute to their wonderful “Grammy”.
as her teacher's aide for three years. She was always very nice and
professional. We had some great conversations! She was always
fun and down to Earth. I was sad to hear that she was ill for some time,
and that she passed away. Glad to know that she was able to see her
granddaughter's before she died. I will always have fond memories of
the times that we spent together at work.
Pat Lenckus
Marcie's teacher's aide. I worked with Marcie for three years. I really enjoyed
working with her. She was always very professional and nice. We also
had many good conversations. I was sad to hear of the news that she was
ill and died. I will always have good memories of her, and the time
that we spent together at work. Glad that she was able to see her grand
daughters before she died. I remarried, so my last name is no longer Lenckus.
Pat Theis
She was a wonderful teacher and helper to our son Jack.
Always so positive.
We have only good memories of Marcie.
Love, Maureen Donehey, Dennis Nykiel and Jack Donehey-Nykiel
John Selke
I was so sad to hear of her passing and did not realize she was ill with ALS. The thing that stands out in my mind the most when I think of Marcie is her beautiful smile, her beautiful eyes, and her beautiful heart. She seemed to brighten the day even if it was dark and cloudy. I will keep Marcie and her family in my thoughts and in my prayers.
I can only imagine how many lives Marcie has touched and made better with her caring and loving soul .
Joanie Pardun ,
Clerical staff
Conant High School