Lebanon County PA Archives Obituaries.....Trayer, Raymond Steiger January 25, 2012
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  Sharon S. M. shabodeho@aol.com February 14, 2012, 11:34 pm
  
  Published in Lebanon Daily News on February 7, 2012 
  Raymond Steiger Trayer 
  
  LANCASTER Raymond Trayer died peacefully at Hospice of Lancaster County in Mt. 
  Joy on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, a month after his 95th birthday when he 
  told stories and enjoyed cake and ice cream. Born in Harrisburg to the late 
  Clarence and Myrtle Steiger Trayer of Mercersburg, Ray went to the Fourth 
  Reformed Church and was an Eagle Scout. His two older brothers, Leroy and 
  Wilbur died in 1988 and 1996. Ray, a Quaker since 1946, was a member of the 
  Lancaster Society of Friends. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from F&M in 1940 and 
  married Dorothy Coldren of Lancaster on June 21, 1941. During WWII, Ray, a 
  conscientious objector, served in a NH mental hos pi tal and at CPS camps in 
  NY, NC and IA. Afterwards, he and Dottie were houseparents at the Milton 
  Hershey School. Both were at Pendle Hill several times, he as gardener and 
  Dottie as secretary to Anna Brinton. From 1946-51, at Black Mountain College 
  in North Carolina, Ray taught and managed the college farm. In 1951 he took 
  over farm operations for Earlham College and was a faculty member. He 
  developed a herringbone milking system for Chore Boy. Ray and Dottie and their 
  five children moved to Hershey in 1960 where Ray was account supervisor and 
  manager for the Pennsylvania Farmers Assoc. until he retired in 1978. In 1971 
  a rare disease ended his 30-year marriage to Dottie. Ray and a friend of 
  Dottie's, Lorie Matter of Manheim, met and married in 1972. They led a 
  European farm tour in 1979 and enjoyed reading, traveling, and attending Elder 
  Hostels. In 1994 they moved to Homestead Village. Ray volunteered at Landis 
  Valley Museum and Meals on Wheels. His passion for farming never waned and he 
  drove to the family farm near Hershey to help out well into his 90s. After 31 
  years of marriage, Lorie died in 2004. In time, he and longtime friend, Berta 
  Hardy, became loving companions until her death. Despite losses that weighed 
  heavily on him, he was an inspiration himliving independently until a fall the 
  end of October led to a series of complications. Known for his daily bike 
  rides, his mind was active; his memory and game-playing skills sharp. He loved 
  concerts, Suduko, Phillies games and a daily dish of ice cream. A lifelong 
  pacifist, most Saturdays since 2003 found him standing in a silent peace vigil 
  on the Lancaster courthouse steps. Ray is survived by his five children, Susan 
  Kummer, John (Alex), Timothy and Charles Trayer, and Deborah Perry, Lorie's 
  children: Catherine Gumlock and John Matter and their families. His 14 
  grandchildren and six great-grandchildren gave him much joy. A memorial 
  service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 31, 2012, at Lancaster Friends 
  Meeting (110 Tulane Terrace behind Wheatland Shopping Center).
   
  Published in Lebanon Daily News on February 7, 2012  
  
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