William "Ray" Raymond Blackwell

William “Ray” Raymond Blackwell, age 88, of Casper, Wyoming passed away June 15, 2023.  Ray was born April 17, 1935 in Coushatta, Louisiana to Preston and Lillie Bell (Stanford) Blackwell. At age 7, he relocated with his family from Louisiana to Houston,Texas.  After the move to Houston, he enjoyed spending his summer breaks in Louisiana with his aunts, uncles and cousins helping on their farms and hunting and fishing. He graduated from Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, Texas.  

Ray enlisted in the United States Army in May of 1957 and was stationed in Germany.  He enjoyed his time in Germany and often said it was a beautiful place.  He was discharged in April of 1959 and served in the US Army Reserves until May of 1963.  In December of 1961, he was recalled to Active Duty and served again in Germany during the final days of the Berlin Crisis as a tank driver. He was honorably discharged from active duty in 1962 and completed his Army reserve duty.  He married Freida Ashford on July 2 of 1962 in Houston, Texas.

He was a welder and worked for the steel and shipping yard industries in Houston.  In 1977, he and his family moved to Casper, Wyoming, where his sister lived.  Shortly after the move, he began working at Amoco Refinery in Casper and worked there until he retired.

He enjoyed the the Wyoming outdoors, hunting, and fishing.  He also loved exploring the state and would often take the backroads just to see where they went.  At the age of 58, he became a horse owner and enjoyed riding Tennessee Walking horses.

He is survived by his wife of  nearly 61 years, Freida Louise, Children, Becky (Dennis) Nelson, William “Bill” (June) Blackwell, grandchildren, Arianne (Dirk) Braughton, Aubree Nelson and great grandson, Cedar Braughton.

He is preceded in death by his parents, and by his sister, Betty Joyce Whitmire.  

Family and friends whose lives he touched are invited to a celebration of life which will be held on June 28, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at Highland Park Community Church.