Raymond E. Adams March 6, 1922 - Nov. 8, 2019

Raymond E. Adams of Monticello died Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, at Monticello Nursing and Rehabilitation Center following a brief illness. Services were held Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 11 a.m. at the United Church of Monticello with visitation at the Goettsch Funeral Home in Monticello on Monday, Nov. 11, from 4-7 p.m. A private interment at Oakwood Cemetery was held prior to Tuesday’s funeral service at the church. 

Raymond was born on March 6, 1922, in Moulton, Iowa. He was the son of Jesse M. and Eva McClurg Adams. He was raised on a farm south of Moulton, and he attended a one-room school through the eighth grade. He then attended Moulton High School and graduated in the class of 1939. After high school, Ray attended Iowa State College (now Iowa State University) in Ames, Iowa. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served in the South Pacific during World War II. Following the war, Ray enrolled again at Iowa State and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1946. 

After graduation, Ray accepted a job teaching vocational agriculture at Monticello High School. While teaching, Ray met fellow teacher Dorothy Nagle. Ray and Dorothy were married on June 8, 1947, in Waterloo, Iowa. 

Ray left teaching after a couple years to become manager of the Monticello Feed Mill. In December of 1966, Ray bought the Feed Mill from long-time owner Ed Huibregtse, and Ray continued to operate the business until his retirement in 1993. 

During the early years of retirement, Ray and Dorothy went south for part of each winter, until Dorothy’s health no longer permitted travelling long distances. In addition to taking camping trips, Ray’s hobbies included playing the violin, doing various woodworking projects, and playing golf. He enjoyed attending Senior Dining every weekday and loved playing cards with his friends after the meal. Ray lived in the same house for 71 years and in August 2019 moved to Pennington Square. Ray was a member of the United Church of Monticello, the Jones County Historical Society, and VFW Post 1683. He is survived by a daughter Pamela (Doug) Jacobs of rural Scotch Grove, a son Paul of Monticello, granddaughter Meredith Johnson of New Haven, Conn., granddaughter Whitney ( John) Penny and great-grandson Jack Penny, all of Oro Valley, Ariz., and a sister-in-law Diana Nagle of Minnetonka, Minn. 

Preceding Ray in death were his wife Dorothy, his parents, and his siblings Farris, Hazel, Marmion, Quincy, Lowell, Elton, and Keith. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Ray’s memory may be made to the United Church of Monticello, the Monticello Community School Foundation, or to Iowa Public Television.