Thomas Mayhew Raymond died peacefully March 4, 2019 with family at his side at Baptist Medical Center Nassau in Fernandina Beach, Fla.
Tom was born April 29, 1946 in West Point, N.Y. to the late Col. Charles Walker Raymond II and Anita Cervi Raymond. He was a descendent from a long line of West Pointers. As an Army dependent, Tom lived in many states and in Managua, Nicaragua. Tom attended and graduated from Cambridge High School in the village of Cambridge, N.Y., which he always considered his hometown.
After a year at community college, Tom served for four years in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) aircraft carrier. After his military service, he received his undergraduate degree from Arizona State University. Tom later received his MA degree in industrial technology from San Jose State at San Jose, Calif. He embarked on a career in high-tech, working first in Phoenix, Ariz. for Motorola, and then in Silicon Valley for AMD in the semiconductor industry. In 2002, he transferred to Hillsboro, Ore., near Portland, to finish out his career with Lattice Semiconductor.
Tom married Sara Rebecca Gerhold in 1996 in Los Gatos, Calif. He had a special affection for Rebecca's children from a previous marriage and loved them as his own. Tom eagerly looked forward to becoming a grandfather and relished that role in his life. After retirement, Tom and Rebecca moved in 2012 to Fernandina Beach, a place they had been visiting for years and had come to love. Upon settling here, Tom, a history buff, immediately became involved with the Amelia Island Museum of History. He has given presentations over the years at the 3rd on 3rd Street lectures and the Brown Bag Lunches. On Mondays, he led a docent tour of the Eight Flags story. Tom discovered that the city of Fernandina Beach had the wrong Spanish flag on their seal and needed to be corrected. After presenting his case at a City Commission meeting, the correction was made.
Tom also had a passion for writing, in particular, history, and has had articles published in the News-Leader, Amelia Now Magazine, St. Marys Magazine, and his hometown paper (Cambridge Eagle) of Cambridge. In addition to these publications, he wrote biographies of various ancestors providing the books to his extended family.
Another passion of Tom's was his love of the New York teams (Giants, Rangers, Knicks), especially the New York Yankees. Tom mentioned recently that he would have loved to have seen the Yankees win one more World Series.
Tom spent many of his younger years backpacking in the Sierras, Hawaii, and the Northwest, loving that connection with nature. He and Rebecca enjoyed traveling and visiting beautiful places around the country and the world. Tom was quite a photographer and was able to capture some remarkable photos.
Tom had an inquiring mind and interest in all kinds of topics. With a special sense of humor, he could be relied upon to add levity to any conversation.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents; his stepmother, Marcia Clark Raymond; and his brother, Robert Woodruff Raymond.
He is survived by his wife, Rebecca; stepchildren, Mary Elizabeth Williams (Peter) of San Jose, Calif. and Christopher James Gerhold (Julie) of Florence, Ky.; step-grandchildren, Natalie and Paul Williams and Jaelyn and Emma Gerhold; brothers, Charles Walker Raymond III of Mechanicville, N.Y. and Jonathan Wainwright Raymond of Cambridge; nephews, Charles Walker Raymond IV (Robin) and Peter Timothy Raymond (Tracy); a great-nephew; great-nieces, and many beloved cousins and friends.
Tom was a faithful member of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Fernandina Beach, where a Requiem Mass, celebrated by the Rev. Brad Cunningham, will be held to honor his memory at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, 2019. A reception will follow in Scott-King Parish Hall.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Tom's memory may be made to the Amelia Island Museum of History, 233 S. Third St., Fernandina Beach, FL 32034.
Please share your memories and condolences at www.oxleyheard.com.
Oxley-Heard Funeral Directors
