- Date Of Birth: March 10, 1927
- Date Of Death: May 10, 2012
- State: Illinois
Ray Staake, 85, of Jacksonville, died Thursday, May 10, 2012, at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield.
He was born March 10, 1927, in rural Meredosia, the son of Julius and Laura Roegge Staake. He married Roberta L. “Bert” Carls on Sept. 10, 1950, in Arenzville and she preceded him in death on Jan. 23, 1999.
He is survived by three children, Pat Gerecke of Meredosia, Roger Ray Staake of Jacksonville and Sandy (James) Brady of Chatham; two foster children, Cheryl (Curt) Campbell of Dayton, OH and Joyce Albers of Murrayville; eight grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and his sister, Erna Lee (Wayne) Dickman of Jacksonville. He was preceded in death by a brother, Gail Staake (surviving wife Marilyn Moore of Jacksonville); a sister in infancy, Bernita; and a son-in-law, Richard “Dick” Gerecke.
Mr. Staake was a 1945 graduate of Meredosia High School, and was a member of Salem Lutheran Church in Jacksonville. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, being drafted at the end of World War II. He then began his lifelong career as a farmer in the Meredosia area. After he retired, he enjoyed woodworking. Ray loved his family, especially his grandchildren.
