Raymond Roy Bland
March 4, 1937 ~ March 12, 2017
The Truck Plaza lost a regular customer Sunday, March 12, 2017. Raymond Roy (Ray) Bland went home to be with the Lord after a long illness. He had just spent two weekends loving on his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He was born March 4, 1937 in Pana, IL to Clarence and Helen (Allen) Bland. He attended Pana High School and served in the United States Navy. He married his sweetheart Patricia Scroggins on July 28, 1956. Ray lived in Pana working in construction with his dad and brothers until 1967 when he moved to Princeton, IL and began his career with Strunk Brothers Asphalt. He spent the next 50 years raising his five children, and spoiling his 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. After he retired from the Operatoring Engineers Union, he began an adventurous life with Pat, traveling, panning for gold, riding his motorcycle, wintering in Arizona, and enjoying an active and rewarding time in his life. Ray was also a member of the Lost Dutchman Mining Association. Ray enjoyed working on cars and motorcycles and building an earth home, being described as a man who could do anything. Ray and Pat made wonderful friends where ever their journeys took them. He never met a stranger and was always helping friends, neighbors, and family. Ray''s greatest joy in life was his family and he loved to share, with great pride, their accomplishments and antics. Anyone who was privileged to be part of a conversation with Ray, at times laughed more because of Ray''s own laughter than they did at the memories and stories he shared. What a beautiful gift he leaves us in that unforgettable joy. Ray is survived by his wife of 60 years, Pat, and his children Ray (Debbie) Bland, Lisa (Scott) Miner, Lori (Jim) Campbell, Oakley Bland, Curt (Yvonne) Bland; grandchildren Christie (Aaron) Henson, Christopher Bland, Benjamin (Janel) Bland, Daniel (Janelle) Miner, Brian (Kara) Campbell, Elizabeth (Casey) Lamb, Brittany Bland, Julie Campbell, Tiffany Bland, Alisha Bland, Shawn Council, & Travis Bland; great grandchildren Bethany and Aaron Eaton, Colin Campbell, Natalie & Levi Henson, Ian, Caleb, James, & Riley Bland, & Bradley Bland; and his stepmother Ida Mae Bland. Ray is also survived by three sisters, Margaret Cloe, Karen (Fred) Suey, Kathy (Michael) Morrison, four brothers Richard (Darla) Bland, Michael (Deb) Bland, Rod (Karla) Bland, Moose (Lisa) Bland, his aunt Norma Allen Akins, & special Sister-in-law Bonnie Bland Cooper. He was preceded in death by his parents Clarence and Helen (Allen) Bland, a brother James Dale Bland, and infant granddaughter Ashley Bland. Grant Johnson Funeral Home in Princeton, IL is in charge of arrangements. There will be a memorial service held this summer for friends and family to pay their respects and to celebrate Ray''s life. Memorial contributions can be made to Vitas Hospice. The family would like to offer a very special thank you to Marian & all the hospice nurses that took such great care of our loved one. They would also like to thank all the friends & neighbors who have helped care for Ray when the family was unavailable.
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Your laughter and presence in our lives will be greatly missed .Your stories and memories shared, will be with us always. You were a wonderful brother and sometimes a
dad do us when Dad died and you will always have a special place in our hearts. We love you and will see you someday soon where there are no more partings or sorrow. Pat and family, we love you all and you are in our thoughts and prayers continually.
You were greatly loved by us, as well as loved by so many others. Oh, the memories I have. From a little girl, you always included me with your kids, but also gave me that special place that I have heard you refer to so many times, “This is my baby sister”. I’m proud to hold that place and will forever remember the good times we had. Thank you for including our grandchildren right in there with yours when it was time to find those special treasures, be it toys, circus peanuts, or candy. You will forever hold a very special place in all of our hearts.
Will always remember being Ray and Pats neighbor in Brenda Arizona. Great times going to Taco Tuesday and just sitting and enjoying visiting with two of the sweetest friends we will ever have. Will always be in our hearts. Our heartfelt sympathy to Pat and your entire family. Love to all
Love and prayers.
What great times we had when we were kids growing up in Pana. Going to church, playing basketball or whatever you, Lyle and I could find to do. Even though I was younger I was still uncle to you and your family. Thanks Pat for being his close companion for so many years. We love you and your family. Uncle Dale and Aunt Sharon
What a wonderful man and so much fun to be around and to go out on the desert with
We had so much fun with Ray he enjoyed every minute of life
We miss you so much and will continue to miss him
I’m sure he has the lord laughing right now
So sorry for your loss to pat and family we love all of you
Such a loss of a wonderful wonderful friend. Ray was always there to help any of us in our needs with mechanics or any part of life. When traveling east we always stopped at their house and they were such gracious hosts in their underground house so beautifully built by him. He was so God loving and now God has him in his hands. Love and Prayers to Pat and the rest of his survivors.
My grandpa was the best grandpa in the world! As the first grandchild, I know I was quite spoiled by him, but in the end he spoiled us all, & if it were possible, spoiled the great grandchildren even more. He was willing to do anything in his power for us & did many times. He was always ready to “play” whether it was driving the “little car” with us, riding motorcycles, playing old maid or taking us to the truck stop for coffee. He always bought donuts for breakfast & always took us out to eat at Wendy’s or the snack bar at Sam’s. We would spend a week with them every summer & always had so much fun. I remember one time they took us camping & we went swimming in a lake at the campground. He was the best I have ever seen at floating! He was there when I graduated high school, college, when I got married, & lastly when Levi was born. He was so disappointed that when we bought our new house last year he was unable to see it because he just wasn’t up to traveling so far. He loved my kids so much & I am so thankful Natalie was able to play “homemaid” with grandpa. She thought that it was a requirement to laugh when you got the old maid card because that is what Grandpa always did. I am so thankful for the couple of days I got to spend with him last week & that I was available to help take care of him. Grandpa, I love you & will miss you more than you will ever know!
Ray showed me everything about the mines in the desert at Brenda, Arizona. He took Linda & me to places we would never have seen. We will hold the memories close & treasure them always.I will miss him dearly & still can hear the wonderful LAUGH of his. The world is not the same without you, Ray. He was the kindest & nicest person I have ever known.
How do you find words to describe a dad who was a legend and that legend keeps growing after death?
Dad,
The love you showed by doing and caring for your family, friends and even strangers had no bounderies.
You did not complete highschool but was the smartest man that I knew. (Aunt Martha said that you were the “Fonzi” of your highschool.) You could have been a millionare with the all the “inventions” you built including your underground home. You could work on any vehicle or anything that had an engine. You even put an engine on a motorized wheel chair that you found scrapped in Arizona that could go 30 mph. You built us a car that has brought enjoyment to 3 generations. I cannot count the times you “worked” by phone on our vehicles, appliances and home over the years or drove 6 1/2 hours to do it in person.
You loved our mom more than life itself when you took care of her after her brain aneurism to keep her out of the nursing home. It tore your heart out when you just couldn’t take care of her anymore due to your declining health.
You talked of your love for grandchildren and great-grandchildren and how that love multiplied from the love of your own children.
I am thankful for your sense of humor and the joy your laughter brought. I am thankful that you made peace with the disease that would take you away from us and in turn you died a very peaceful death. I am thankful that you instilled in us faithfulness to God and His word. I am thankful for all the times that you gave to the work of God by blessing pastors, missionaries, churches and people in need. That has all come back to you by the love and care your friends and neighbors showed you by stepping in to take care of you when we couldn’t get home. I am thankful for the privledge of being able to watch you take your last breath when you met your Savior.
I love you Dad and will treasure the memories of you and the man you were.
Lisa
Our thoughts and our prayers to the Bland Family. We feel so blessed to have had Ray and Pat as neighbors for the past 26 years. Ray was our neighborhood Mr Fix It. He came to our rescue so many times. He took pride in his property and his neighbors as well by mowing the roadsides and hunting everyone’s moles, what a guy!!! We will greatly miss you Ray. We are so thankful to have had such a wonderful visit with you last week. Thanks for the laughs and the memories. Blessings to your beautiful family.
Please accept our most heartfelt sympathies for your loss. Our thoughts are with you and your family during this dificult time.
Today and always, may loving memories bring you peace, comfort and strength.
Love and prayers, we will miss our desert friend.
Val and Lex, Brenda, Arizona
A great brother-in-law who will be greatly missed. I think over the many good times we had together, and his laugh is what always stood out. It was a better world because of him.
Our thoughts and prayers are with your family.
Oh how we will miss our wonderful brother. His laughter will be instilled in all of us forever! We were never together that we didn’t hear great stories and remember all the good times we had together. I will not forget the sadness I felt when I found out he was moving from Holly street in Pana to Princeton. We knew that is what he wanted but I missed all the times we visited with Ray and Pat. There wasn’t one thing he couldn’t do and was always the first one wanting to help you. Never being sick he couldn’t understand and didn’t want to accept the fact he couldn’t take care of the love if his life. Ray you have always meant so much to me and I will cherish you being my older brother and I will love you forever. Our only regrets were that we didn’t get to see each other enough. Tell Dad and brother Jim hello. Your Sis.
Dear Pat and family, We Can’t express our feeling of loss, Ray was such a great friend. He and Wayne were such buddies over the years and Ray was always there to help whether working on a car or remodeling our house. He was so talented and a great carpenter. Wayne couldn’t bring himself to come see Ray at the last I think because of his own illness. He hates that he can’t be out and about like he used to be and to realize he and all his friends are getting old and in failing health. Please know you’ve always been our thoughts and prayers even though we haven’t been there physically. We love you all and will miss hearing Ray’s laughter . He was a great guy and we’ll miss him. We miss you too Pat and hope you’re doing well. As I’ve said, Wayne can’t bring himself to go visiting much but we love you and miss you always.
My heartfelt sympathy to the dear family of Raymond Bland. We knew each other during high school days in the mid ’50s. Also at that time, I was a carhop at Toot-N-Tell-Um, and he was a very frequent root beer customer.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him……” I Corinthians 2:9
My deepest sympathies. may god heal your pain.
Eric