Raymond Gaudette Jr., 78, of Holiday Shores, Edwardsville, IL passed away at Anderson Hospital on Friday, October 9, 2020. Raymond was born in St. Louis, Missouri on October 1, 1942, to Raymond Sr. and Loretta (nee Ebersbach) Gaudette.  He grew up in Granite City where he attended Granite City High School. Following high school, he joined the Air Force, which led him to Oscoda, Michigan, where he met his one and only true love, Shirley. Ray and Shirley shared over 50 years together, during which time they raised 3 children and took an active role within their community. Ray's love for Shirley was immeasurable and was easily seen by all. Even after she passed away in 2015, Ray continued to make Shirley homemade and heartfelt cards for all holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries that he would leave for her at the cemetery.

During his military years, Ray was honored to play Taps on his trumpet at military funerals for fallen soldiers. Following his service in the Air Force, Ray joined IBM where he spent the next 25+ years establishing himself as one of the leading Systems Engineers in the St. Louis area.  After his retirement from IBM, he ended his professional career as a consultant with Anheuser Busch in St. Louis.

In his early years, Ray enjoyed vintage cars, flying airplanes, and participating in Boy Scouts. Ray was a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow, and he later started troop 98. He was a Scout Master from 1968 to 1974, and to this day, Ray's former scouts still credit him for being a mentor and father figure, encouraging them to embrace all 12 principles of the Boy Scouts throughout life. His leadership and commitment to scouting led him to be awarded the prestigious Silver Beaver Award in 1980.

Ray spent his time fishing, boating, golfing, "tinkering" in his garage, and enjoying time with his family and friends.  He was the original "MacGyver," always able to repair or rig things to make even the most unusable things usable. Even long after his retirement, Ray continued to stay up to date on the latest computer technology, always keeping his mind sharp and unselfishly donating his time and skills to help family and friends, regardless of their issue. Ray was intelligent, yet humble, gaining admiration from those around him.

Ray was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley, his parents, Raymond and Loretta (nee Ebersbach) Gaudette, his sister Elizabeth ("Betty") Kidd, and his son, Richard Gaudette.

He is survived by his son David (Suzanne) Gaudette, of Edwardsville, IL, and his daughter, Capri (Chris) Strieter, of Edwardsville, IL, his brother Michael (Veronica) Gaudette of Granite City, IL, his sister Marie Sackett of Highland, IL, 9 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Gary Sinise Foundation - https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/donate/

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, October 13, 2020, from 4-8 pm, at Sunset Hill Funeral Home, located at 50 Fountain Dr. Glen Carbon, IL, 62034.

Private funeral services will be held at Sunset Hill Cemetery at a later date.