Raymond A. Macomber

FARMINGTON — Raymond Arthur Macomber, 87, of East Wilton passed away Monday, March 20, at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington, where he was surrounded and comforted by three generations of his family for the last days and moments of his life.

Raymond was born in Dryden, on his grandfather Arthur Macomber’s farm on Dec. 19, 1929, to Carroll M. and Vivian (Mooar) Macomber. As a young boy, he and his two sisters were raised by their maternal grandmother, Emma C. Mooar, in her home in East Wilton where Raymie later raised his own family.

Raymie graduated from Wilton Academy in 1949, the first five-letter freshman in football, baseball, basketball, track and skiing. In 1950, he married his high school sweetheart, Beverly C. Baker of Dryden. In 2014, Raymie and Bev celebrated their 64th anniversary before Bev passed in November of the same year.

In his younger years, Raymie worked at a few different jobs: the Wilton Woolen Mill in Dryden; IP in Jay; K & H Foster Cement Co. of Wilton, building many of the bridges throughout Franklin County; and Forster Manufacturing Co. (old Woolen Mill) from which he retired after almost 30 years. Through the years Raymie developed a great reputation for his skill in roofing and general carpentry and became a “jack-of-most-trades,” never lacking work on his “days off.” When old enough, his sons learned his trades on the job with him.

Raymie was a man of the community and was always ready to give back to the hometown he lived in all his life. He served as a volunteer firefighter out of the East Wilton station and had two sons follow after him in that service. In the ’60s and early ’70s, he was a constable for the Wilton police department and had a part in starting the first ambulance service in Wilton. He served on the EMT squad and had a son follow him in that service as well.

As a local fireman and dad, he helped create and maintain the EW skating rink. Team sports were always a passion and he could be found on the baseball field coaching and refereeing Little League baseball for many years, encouraging boys of the town along with his own to play sports of any kind. He later enjoyed watching his grandchildren and great-grandchildren on the courts and fields. He was a great fan of high school games and attended or listened to them on the radio, and in his later years enjoyed watching college and pro ball games, especially football.

Raymie was an avid outdoor sportsman. He had a passion for hunting and fishing, enjoyed hiking and training his children to handle weapons, compasses, and the nature of the woods. He was part of the reorganizing and building of the Fish and Game Club in the early ’50s. In 1950, Raymie purchased a camp on Alder Stream in Perkins Plantation, which evolved through the years as his family grew. Today, the family camp remains as a legacy of his life and passions that he passed on to his family of now three generations.

Raymond is survived by his six children, Donna Macomber of western Russia; Daryl Macomber and his companion, Lin, of New Jersey and his children, Jason, Ryan and Bryan; David Macomber and his wife, Debbie, of East Wilton and their children, Jonathan and Brandi; Daniel Macomber and his wife, Terry, of Jay and their daughter, Karisa; Deborah Trask of Wilton and her children, Amy, Arthur and Andrew; and Donald Macomber and his wife, Judy, of Jay and their children, Kelsey and Kristy; a younger sister, Beverly J. Wagner and her husband, retired Lt. Col. Eugene of Cape Coral, Fla.; 15 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

He is predeceased by his wife, Beverly C. Macomber; and his older sister, Phyllis I. Stuart.

Tributes, condolences and a memorial video may be shared by visiting Raymond’s memorial wall at www.wilesrc.com.

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