Raymond Edward England Jr.

Raymond Edward England Jr., was "absent from the body, present with the Lord," Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, at the age of 90. He was born in 1922 in Pharr, Texas, the oldest of five children. During the Depression, the family moved to Springdale, Ark., where his dad owned a gas station and opened the Owl Inn at the corner of Allen and Highway 71. Ray married his childhood sweetheart, Ida Watts, and moved to Chicago where he attended college. He left for Germany to be a radio flight operator with the Army Air Corps. Ray worked as a poultry industry salesman with Brown's Ledbreast (the Ledbreast Chicken logo was Ray's creation) until the 1960s when he became sales manager for J.B. Hunt Co. An entrepreneur by nature, he owned his own business, National United Enterprises, developing with Monsanto AstroTurf as artificial nesting material for animals and other ventures until the '90s. Ray and Ida were very active in their church, First Baptist of Springdale, under the Reverends Burton A. Miley, Cliff Palmer and later, Ronnie Floyd. They sang in the choir, (he loved gospel music), he was a deacon and Boy Scout leader. He loved to travel the world, often with church friends. They explored so many continents over the years, never tiring of a packed suitcase. Ray was preceded in death by his wife, Ida; brothers, Cecil of Fayetteville and Harold; and sister, Marie Baker of California. He is survived by his brother, Eugene of Owasso, Okla.; four children, Charolette Caudle of Long Beach, Wash., Mark of Austin, Texas, Marleen Pellham of Springfield, Mo., and Phillip of Grapevine, Texas; 11 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Ray moved to the Meadows Assisted Living facility in Bentonville, Ark., after Ida died, where their personal caregiver, Charlene Chase continued to care for him. Graveside service officiated by the Rev. Charles Foster of Crossroads Church at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, at Bluff Cemetery. The one piece of advice Ray always had was "don't ever give up." Good advice from a man who overcame tremendous physical adversity and personal loss to forge a career and raise his family. He was greatly blessed by God. To sign the guestbook online, please visit www.siscofuneral.com.