- Born: December 11, 1952, Okmulgee, Oklahoma
- Died: February 12, 2021, Paris, Texas
Raymond Edward Wegley Jr., my uncle, was born on December 11, 1952, in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. He was the third child and second son of Raymond Edward Wegley and Elsie Jane Hoag.
Raymond was born while his parents were establishing their family in Oklahoma. His father was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1925, served in the United States Navy during World War II, married Elsie in Pennsylvania in 1948, and eventually made Oklahoma home.
Parents and Siblings
Raymond’s father, Raymond Edward Wegley Sr., was born on December 15, 1925, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and died on December 4, 1992, in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. His mother, Elsie Jane Hoag, was born on June 22, 1927, and died on April 26, 2018.
Raymond grew up as one of four children. His siblings were:
- Thomas Eugene Wegley, born June 13, 1949
- Karen Marie Wegley, born January 26, 1951
- Robert Thomas Wegley, born September 27, 1954
The family eventually became established in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, where Raymond Sr. spent decades working for the Bartlett-Collins Glass Company. Raymond Jr. therefore belonged to the first generation of this branch of the Wegley family to grow up primarily in Oklahoma after generations of the family had lived in Pennsylvania.
Marriage to Catherine Anne Burk
On April 17, 1974, Raymond married Catherine Anne Burk in Fannin County, Texas. Their marriage lasted more than forty years, until Catherine’s death in 2017.
Raymond and Catherine had two sons:
- Shawn Dale Wegley, born 1975
- Jeremy Edward Wegley, born 1978
Through Shawn and Jeremy, Raymond and Catherine’s branch of the Wegley family continued into another generation. Their family eventually included grandchildren as well as numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
Catherine’s Death
Catherine Anne Burk Wegley died on June 11, 2017. After more than four decades of marriage, Raymond spent his final years as a widower. Catherine was buried in Bonham, Fannin County, Texas. Raymond would eventually be laid to rest beside her.
His Final Years
Raymond died on February 12, 2021, in Paris, Texas, at the age of sixty-eight. According to his obituary, his death resulted from kidney failure.
His obituary remembered him through a passage from Ephesians 4:32:
Raymond Edward Wegley Junior, age 68, passed away on February 12, 2021, due to kidney failure. He was born December 11, 1952, in Okmulgee, Oklahoma to Raymond and Elsie Wegley. He married his longtime friend and love, Catherine Anne Burk, in April of 1974, who preceded him in death in 2017.
His life was a living example of Ephesians 4:32 — “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”
Raymond is survived by three siblings, Thomas Eugene, Karen Marie, and Robert Thomas, as well as his sons, Shawn Dale and Jeremy Edward, his wife, his beloved grandchildren, his many nephews and nieces, and great-nephews and nieces.
He had a wonderful life and will be missed by many.
His family presented that verse as an example of how Raymond lived his life. His obituary described a man his children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews, and extended family remembered with affection.
At the time of Raymond’s death, his three siblings, Thomas Eugene, Karen Marie, and Robert Thomas, were still living. He was also survived by his sons Shawn Dale and Jeremy Edward, his grandchildren, and a large extended family.
Burial
Raymond Edward Wegley Jr. was buried in Bonham, Texas. He was laid to rest beside his wife, Catherine, who had died nearly four years earlier.
Their neighboring graves preserve the final chapter of a marriage that began in Texas in 1974 and lasted until Catherine’s death in 2017. Raymond followed her in death on February 12, 2021.
Remembering Uncle Raymond
Raymond’s life belongs to a much more recent part of our Wegley family history, where genealogy begins to overlap with personal memory. He was not simply a name discovered in a census, probate file, or centuries-old church record, but my uncle and a member of a generation remembered directly by those of us still living.