Ray Casper

Ray Casper, 91, of Gainesville, Georgia (formerly of Watkinsville) passed away on August 25, 2021.

He was the son of Silmon R. Casper and Viola Fulcher Casper, born in Woodland, Georgia, and attended Carithers Junior High and Bogart High School. Growing up in rural Oconee County, his family was farmers with cotton being the primary crop – early in his life the rural schools had split session in order for the children to help with the harvesting, commonly referred to as “picking cotton”.

Farming was a tough way to make a living; some of the obstacles were weather, boll weevils, poor soil, and lack of money to purchase fertilizer and chemicals to control the boll weevils. Ray vied that farming was not for him; immediately after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Navy and took a liking to that life, making that his first career job, which lasted twenty-two years.

The Navy provided many opportunities – schools, advancements, travel, and lasting friendship, to name a few. In addition to the southeastern states, duty stations included two overseas assignments – Argentia, Newfoundland and Puerto Rico, with family accompaniment, two aircraft carrier assignments, and two tours totaling five years as an instructor – the last one was in Athens at the Navy Supply Corps School. A two year tour aboard the aircraft carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt, which logged many knots (miles), included two deployments of five to six months to the Mediterranean Sea; numerous short training exercises were made to the Caribbean Sea, as well as a deployment to Vietnam during the war to do his part in defending our country. He was honored with letters of commendation from Naval Air Technical Training Center, Memphis, Tennessee, Commander Attack Carrier Air Wing ONE, Aircraft Carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Navy Supply Corps School, Athens, Georgia.

After Naval service, he attended the University of Georgia and received a Bachelors of Business Administration, majoring in accounting; he then served with the Internal Revenue Service as a Revenue Agent and Examination Group Manager for the Athens-Gainesville offices which covered twenty-five counties in Northeast Georgia. Upon retiring from the IRS, he worked with an Athens accounting firm and later opened his own business serving the Athens and Oconee areas until retirement after three careers. He enjoyed helping his clients and developed many lasting friendships from among them.

He was active in the Rotary Club of Athens for 18 years, serving as treasurer and President, and treasurer of Rotary District 691 for two terms. He is a Paul Harris Fellow, and Athens Rotary Foundation Associate, and a Will Watt Fellow. He is a life member of the Fleet Reserve Association, Military Officers Association of America, and National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.

Upon returning to the family’s roots – Northeast Georgia – recreational traveling consumed a considerable amount of time for him and his wife; with the exception of one state, the other forty-nine have been visited, Canada, Wester and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, South American, North Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and many of the other Caribbean Islands were included.

He and his wife, Dorothy, died on the same day and they would have been married 70 years on Christmas Day this year. Survivors include son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Lugene Casper of Gainesville; Kenny Casper and Connie Hayes of Arnoldsville; five grandchildren, Richie and Yukari Casper of Tokyo, Japan; Ryan and Catherine Casper of Gainesville, GA; Kristin Casper of Columbus, GA; Brittanae Casper of New York, NY; and Cheyenne and Brandon Fuqua of Yanceyville, NC; four great grandchildren, Caleigh, Ansley Cate and Olivia Casper and Chandler Fuqua; sister, Merita Austin of Winder, GA.

He was predeceased by his son, Edward Casper, his father and mother, sisters, Louise Melear, Montine Hunter, Jean Scogin and brothers, A. L. “Bud” Casper and Tom Casper.

Funeral services will be Sunday, August 29, 2021 at 3:00 PM at the chapel of Lord and Stephens Funeral Home, WEST. Entombment will follow at Evergreen Memorial Park.

The family will receive friends Sunday from 1:30 until 3:00 PM at the funeral home.

Lord and Stephens Funeral Home, WEST, Watkinsville, is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com