NEW HAMPTON -- H R. "Ray" Wiley, 96, New Hampton, died Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002 at Mercy Medical Center, New Hampton after a brief illness.

Funeral Services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15 at United Methodist Church, New Hampton with Rev. Catherine Luck presiding. Music will be provided by Pete and Phyllis Willadsen singing "On Eagle's Wings" and the congregation singing "The Old Rugged Cross" and "Just A Closer Walk With Thee".

Interment will be in the New Hampton City Cemetery with grandchildren, Sharon Kipp, Jan Medberry, Steve Wiley, Tom Arens, Ron Underwood and Deb Wiley as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be his other grandchildren, Connie Parson, Sandy Gahn, Linda Ruble, Roger Arens, Paul Arens,' Carol Davis, Scott Medberry, Kevin Medberry, Mike Underwood and Dave Arens.

Visitation was 3-8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 14 at Hugeback Funeral Home, New Hampton and will be an hour prior to the funeral at the church on Tuesday.

Ray was born May 15, 1905 on the Wiley family farm near Superior, the son of Clarence and Mabel J. (Smith) Wiley. He attended schools in the Superior area. He later farmed and drove horse-drawn school bus for three years. At this school he met a new school teacher who taught English and Home Economics. Her name was Helen Lucille Felton. They married in Cedar Falls on Dec. 24,1927. The couple moved to a farm east of New Hampton where he was a lifelong farmer raising cattle, hogs, a small dairy herd, chickens, and for a short time, turkeys. Ray served as township trustee and if need be housed the school teacher for the township. In 1956 Ray and Helen retired and moved to their current home in New Hampton. Ray was a 50-year memoer of Arcana Masonic Lodge #274, New Hampton. He had served as director of an area rural country school and was an active member of the Senior Citizens for many years. Ray enjoyed gardening, fishing and spending time at his cabin in Harpers Ferry. .

Survivors include one son, Ray (Orla) Wiley, rural Fredericksburg; two daughters, Mary (Justin) Underwood, rural Fredericksburg and Elinor (Cliff) Medberry, Elgin; 16 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; two sisters> Clara Shoemaker, Thousand Oaks, CA and Doris Anderson, Kal-ispel, MT.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife, Helen, in 1993; a daughter, Louise Arens, in 1989; two brothers, Ben Wiley and Howard Wiley and one sister, Inez Clark.

Source: New Hampton Tribune; Jan. 15, 2002 Page 4
from Elma library collection assembled by Marian (Marr) McGee
Transcribed by ABBYY FineReader® 12, Adapted to the Web by Bill Waters