Francis Everett Raley, Sr.

October 29, 1945 - December 28, 2007

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Services:

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 AM on Thursday, January 3, 2008 in Holy Angels Catholic Church, Avenue, MD with Fr. William Gurnee officiating. Interment will follow in Queen of Peace Cemetery, Helen, MD.

Visitation:

The family will receive friends in the funeral home on Wednesday, January 2, 2008 from 5 PM - 8 PM with prayers being said at 7:00 PM and Knights of Columbus prayers at 7:15 PM.

Francis Everett “Frank” Raley Sr. of Clements, MD died on December 28, 2007 at his residence. Born October 29, 1945 in Leonardtown, MD, he was the son of the late LeRoy Raley and Martha Depew Raley. He was preceded in death by his first wife of 28 years, Mildred Diane Raley, whom he married on March 6, 1971 and who died on July 1, 1999. He is survived by his wife, Estelle Seward Raley, whom he married on July 19, 2001; his children, Stephanie Walden and her husband Travis of Marbury, MD, Francis Raley, Jr. and his wife Tammie of Avenue, MD, Joseph Seward and his fiancé Angela O’Dell and Maria Seward of Clements, MD; his siblings; Peggy Bowles of La Plata, MD, Clara J. Bowie and Hilda Beach, both of Colton’s Point, MD, David Raley of Bel Alton, MD and Janie Maynard of Cobb Island, MD. He is also survived by his four grandchildren; Nikki Mitchell, Cody Walden, Lindsey Raley and Kaylie Seward.  He was preceded in death by his brother Patrick Raley. He joined the Army in 1965, completing three tours in Vietnam. He was proud to have been part of the 1^st Cavalry Division and the 101^st Airborne and being an Aircraft Electrical Technician. Upon leaving the military in 1978, he began working for PEPCO/Mirant Morgantown Generation Station as a power plant technician; while there he received several awards for his numerous community and volunteer service work. He retired from Mirant in 2003. He soon tired of retired life and began working for Dynacorp, Solomons Island until his death. He was a member of the Bel Alton Volunteer Fire Department for six years and was awarded the Bel Alton Volunteer Fire Department Fireman of the Year in 1985 and Volunteer Fireman and Rescue Squad appreciation in 1987. He was an active member of the Knights of Columbus from 1981 to 2002, serving as the Bingo Chairman at Father Andrew White School every Friday. Francis’ greatest love was his 1971 Chevelle Malibu. This was his retirement toy, which involved the assistance of the entire family. He became a member of the Maryland Chevelle Club and ACE. He loved attending car shows in MD and VA. He was ecstatic when he won 1^st place in the Quarter Masters Car Show this July. Frank loved people and liked to make them smile and had a wonderful sense of humor. He was hard headed and direct but in the end still touched the hearts of many people. His raspy voice, unique comments and big smile will always be remembered. The family will receive friends from 5:00-8:00 PM at the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home in Leonardtown, MD on Wednesday, January 2, 2008 where prayers will be said at 7:00PM and  7:15PM by the Knights of Columbus. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 10:00AM in Holy Angels Catholic Church, Avenue, MD with Fr. William Gurnee officiating. Interment will follow in Queen of Peace Cemetery, Helen, MD. Memorial contributions may be made to the Mechanicsville Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 15, Mechanicsville, MD 20659 and/or  Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650.

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