Raymond East

Raymond Andre East, son of Henry Hines and Buela Caroline Andre East, was born on February 1, 1939 in Mechanicsville, Iowa. Raymond was a 1957 graduate of Mechanicsville High School. He enlisted in the United States Navy on March 18, 1958 and was honorably discharged on March 13, 1962. Raymond was united in marriage to Evelyn Marie Hunt on July 8, 1961 in Stanwood, Iowa. Raymond and Evelyn were blessed with two sons, Doug and Dean. Raymond worked for Linkbelt Speeder until they closed then worked for Louis Rich for a couple of years. He attended Kirkwood College to become a truck driver and drove for Transport American for several years. After his driving career Ray worked for Benco Manufacturing in Belle Plaine until he retired in June of 2004. Raymond and Evelyn moved to Brooklyn, Iowa and lived on the lake for nearly 15 years. He loved spending time on his front porch, NASCAR (he was a Dodge man), playing checkers and being with his family. Raymond is survived by his wife, Evelyn; sons, Doug of Marengo, Iowa and Dean of Brooklyn; 3 grandchildren, Elizabeth East of Clarence, Iowa, Jesse East and Makaela East of Brooklyn, Iowa; two brothers, Edward (Margaret) Grunder of Des Moines, Iowa and John (Eva) Grunder of Mechanicsville, Iowa. He was preceded in death by his parents and his uncle, Howard Andre. A memorial has been established in his memory and those proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society or the Veterans Affairs Transportation Funds to help other veterans. There will be military graveside rites conducted by the Mechanicsville American Legion Post following the graveside committal service.