McCAULEY- Of Marblehead, May 29th, Raymond P. Sr. Devoted husband of the late Vera (Larkin). Beloved father of Paul and his wife Bebe, Stephen and his wife Karen, his daughter Patty, his son-in-law Rick Pollard and his wife Annmarie, thirteen grandchildren, two great granddaughtrs, his brothers Donald, John and Thomas as well as several nieces and nephews.
Raymond Paul McCauley, Senior was born September 7, 1922 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts to Bertha and Edward McCauley. His daughter Jeannie Pollard and siblings, Marguerite, Edward, Bernice, Frances and his beloved wife, Vera, predeceased him.
Raymond was a member of the Bismarck Sea Survivors and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post #2005 and a resident of Marblehead for over 60 years.
Raymond married Vera Larkin on July 14, 1946 at age 23 and they remained devoted to each other for the next 51 years until Vera's death on July 7, 1997. He grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts working at an early age to help his family survive the Great Depression and attending Ridge Technical High School before joining the Navy in 1943.
He served in World War II and survived the sinking of the Bismarck Sea CVE-95/VC-86 in the battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific on February 21, 1945. Ray was one of the 321 survivors of 947 shipmates on board the Bismarck Sea aircraft carrier when two kamikaze Japanese planes struck the ship, igniting torpedoes and causing it to burst into flames and sink while it was supporting the landing of the United States Marines on Iwo Jima.
Following the war, Raymond returned to Marblehead, Married Vera and raised four children. He spent his entire career at the General Electric Company, retiring in 1987 after 45 years of employment. Raymond spent his last months at the Chelsea Soldiers Home.
Raymond was a loving and generous husband and father with a wonderful sense of humor and friendly demeanor who will be missed greatly by all who loved him. Expressions of sympathy in Raymond's name may be made to the Veterans of Foriegn Wars, Post #2005, PO Box 314, Marblehead, MA 01945. A private graveside service wil be held for family and close friends at Waterside Cemetery in Marblehead.