Obituary of Raymond Vicknair
Raymond Vicknair passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 7, 2023 at ExcelCare in Dover, NJ. He had shared 95 years of love, laughter, and unforgettable memories with family and friends.
All services will be private. Please leave a condolence, light a candle, and share your favorite memory of Raymond here to continue to celebrate his life and let his light shine.
We Will Always Remember. . .
It could be said that Raymond Vicknair, my father, had short comings. He was a very direct and honest man and never concerned about hurting one’s feelings. To some, that could be considered harsh but to me, his son, I chose to see a different side. I saw a father that would lend a hand when I needed it, call for advice or turn to when things got tough. I knew that I could always count on him. On several occasions, my friends told me about how he had helped them with car repairs and opened his house to many. So, looking back on his life I will remember that my father always lent a hand to his family, friends, and neighbors. He was never patient with people in general but loved them in his own way.
Dad was a good storyteller. Through the years, I heard many. One of my favorites was when as a child he played pranks on his nana Flavia in mischievous ways. When she realized what he had done, she would simply smile and give him a hug. Once, he and a friend ran away from home. After finishing the sandwiches they sneaked from the kitchen, exhaustion had set in and the police picked them up a few miles away. When he arrived home, his father told him “If you run away again, just keep going”.
Growing up, dad had little interest in school, he dropped out of high school to join the Marine Corps. But since he was only 17, he needed my grandfather to co-sign. Grampa gave his consent hoping that it would teach him discipline and structure. During his military service he learned how to repair airplanes and received his GED. Dad was Honorably Discharged as a World War II Veteran in 1949.
My father was a man of many talents. As a civilian, he obtained diplomas certifying him as an Airline Service Mechanic and Flight Engineer. Dad would go on to work for several air freight companies. Unlike the other pilots who preferred to sit at the hotel bar during their layover, dad would hop in a taxi and venture out. He climbed the pyramids twice, walked along the Great Wall of China, toured the Colosseum in Rome, and knew the streets of London like the back of his hand. While working for Seaboard World Airlines, he met my mother, Lois, and they got married. In 1991 he was working for FEDEX and volunteered to fly to Iraq and deliver supplies to the troops in Desert Storm.
It is difficult to say which hobbies he enjoyed most since he took interest in so many. However, Live Steam engines were at the top of his list. He built several scaled miniatures in his basement machine shop and taught me to do the same. Dad also loved to read. He recited passages with philosophical lessons in life and explained what it meant to him.
As dad would say from time to time, “Life is funny sometimes, but not funny ha ha”
Written by Craig
