Raymond Lemasters, 51, of Port Richey, Fla. and formerly of Morgantown, rode through the golden gates of heaven on Feb. 21, 2022. Ray was also known as “Ironman” by his many brothers and sisters in the riding community.
Ray was born on May 1, 1970, in Cleveland. He was the son of the late Russell L. Lemasters Sr. and Elmira G Lemasters (Rinehart), of Jere Hollow. Ray grew up in Morgantown along with his blended family of siblings: three brothers, Bob Blankenship and wife Deb, of Mentor, Ohio, Russell Lemasters and wife Rita, of Albright, and Bobby Lemasters and wife Missy, of Morgantown; and three sisters, Diane Stelmarski and husband Tom, of Cleveland, Kimberely Graham and husband Jay, of Kingwood, and Kimberly Hartwell, of Montgomery Heights.
Ray met his beloved wife, Melissa Lemasters (Jordan) in 1993, and together they raised five beautiful children: Amanda Lemasters, of Madison, Raymond (Billy) Lemasters, of Morgantown, Chelsea McCann and husband Justin, of Port Richey, Fla., Kaylea Lemasters-Gabbard and husband David, of Frankfort, Ky., and Austin Lemasters at home in Port Richey, Fla. He was a much loved pappy to Lilia and Amelia McCann and Jaxon and Hunter Lemasters. He had numerous nieces and nephews that he was very close to as well.
Besides his family, one of Ray’s proudest achievements was being the founder and president of the Mountain Renegades MC, a group of riders that participated in many charity runs and spearheaded The Skylar Neese Memorial Run that raised money for scholarships in her memory. Ray was always a hard worker, and he spent most of his life as a welder and a professional truck driver. He also liked to play hard too, riding his Harley, fishing in his boat and hunting in the woods of West Virginia.
Sadly, in 2019 Ray was diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate Cancer. He fought like the warrior he was, though, and continued to work and drive truck over the road while undergoing chemo and radiation treatments. He had many close friends that he considered brothers that checked on him often while fighting his battle. Besides his blood brothers and sisters, I know Ray would like to thank B.J. Haught, Curtis Smith, Carl Morton, Joe Hardesty and Russell Black, to name just a few, for keeping his spirits up and being there for him. He will be missed greatly by all that knew him but his memory will live on in all of us that loved him so much.
Ray only wanted a celebration of life, and he actually helped in the planning of one while in hospice, so, following his wishes, a celebration of life for Raymond Lemasters will be held at Road Hogs 415 Clayton St. Rivesville, WV 26588, at 3 p.m. on June 25, 2022. Anyone that knew him is welcome to come. Also, if you have any funny or touching stories about Ray and would like to share them, that would be greatly appreciated.
