John William Raber passed away peacefully into the arms of his beloved granddaughter Lydia on May 4, 2019, at Lifecare Hospice, in Wooster.
John was born May 27, 1934, and was raised by his grandparents, William A. Raber and Lydia Sarah Raber, in Blacksville.
Upon coming to live with his grandparents in Blacksville, he then had a happy childhood in the small West Virginia hamlet nestled between the mountains. He was a 1953 graduate of Clay Battelle High School. Upon graduation from high school, he entered the United States Army and proudly served his country in Korea from 1954-’55. While in the Army, he was the lead singer in a quartet known as Taro Tunes that performed in USO shows throughout Korea and in Japan. After returning to the states, he married the love of his life Betty Grace Lee on June 16, 1956, and the two celebrated 62 years of marriage last June.
John graduated from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in 1959 and later a master’s degree in education in 1962. He always enjoyed pointing out that he went to college with basketball great Jerry West. He began his teaching career at Riverside Junior High School in Morgantown, and taught English at Elyria High School, in Elyria, Ohio, where he later served as assistant principal and then principal.
John was a person of myriad interests and talents. He played football and basketball, was a Thespian, sang as a soloist and with a quartet, was involved in summer theater, umpired baseball games, was a member of the speech and debate team at WVU, was past president of King Solomon’s Lodge in Elyria and a member of Ebenezer Lodge in Wooster, was a past president of the Elyria Kiwanis Club, was a fan of Ohio Light Opera, loved watching baseball and was a stickler for good punctuation and grammar. He could recite and quote passages from Shakespeare and loved watching British comedies. He was a member of Wooster United Methodist Church.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Betty; his daughter, Monica Miyashita and son-in-law, Mark, of Orrville; and his two beloved grandchildren, Max and Sarah-Grace Miyashita, also of Orrville.
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents and custodians, William and Lydia Sarah Raber; brother, Ab Raber; sister, Sarah Lee Raber; brothers-in-law, Robert Lee and Richard Lee; special aunt and uncle, Mary and Carlton McKinney; and beloved granddaughter, Lydia Li-mei Eiko Miyashita, who died at age 5, in 2009, from leukemia.
Friends will be received at Wooster United Methodist Church, 243 N. Market St., Wooster, from 10 a.m. Friday, May 10, until the 11 a.m. Masonic memorial service with the Rev. Dr. David Wilcox officiating. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. in the Crown Hill Cemetery, Orrville.
McIntire, Bradham & Sleek Funeral Home, 216 E. Larwill St., Wooster is assisting the family.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s memory to Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare, 1900 Akron Road, Wooster, OH 44691, or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Condolences: mcintirebradhamsleek.com
