LYNDON, Kan. – One of the last of “The Greatest Generation”, Raymond Clyde Goldsmith, 95, passed away April 19, 2022. He was born Sept. 21, 1926, to parents Ora Clyde Goldsmith and Laura Burkdoll Goldsmith on a farm east of Lyndon, Kan., land first homesteaded by Goldsmiths in 1879.

Raymond grew up with brothers Gerald, Curtis, and Rodell. Farming was part of his DNA, something he always loved and found fulfillment in. He was a star athlete for the Lyndon Tigers football team, undefeated in both the falls of 1943 and 1944. His senior year at Lyndon High School was interrupted when he entered the US Army and was deployed to Okinawa and then Korea.

At the end of his service, he met Ann Bowen in Temple, Texas, beginning a 73-year romance. They were married March 19, 1949, in Belfalls, Texas, then took up running a farm together back in Raymond’s old stomping grounds between Lyndon and Quenemo.

Raymond became a soft spoken, humble giant in Osage County, earning a well-deserved reputation as one who never gave up through the toughest of times in farming. But more importantly, he was a man of high integrity, morals, and ethics. His word was his bond. He was a loyal friend and relative. The result is that he became not only successful in his business, but also more importantly, in his life. In recent years as Ann’s health declined, he was a 24/7 caregiver for her until she passed away Dec. 22, 2021. And he did that with determination even as his own physical condition declined. His passing is an occasion of not only profound grief, but also celebration that he is, again, with the great love of his life and all his other loved ones who were waiting for him.

Raymond was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers.

Raymond is survived by sister-in-law, Eleanor Goldsmith, of Augusta, Kan.; brother and sister-in-law Harry and Beatrice Chollett, Temple, Texas; and a host of cousins, nieces and nephews; and many others who considered themselves his adopted adult children.

Many thanks to Laurie Bunker, of Home is Where the Heart Is, Osage City, Kan., for coordinating 24-hour nursing care, and to Elara Caring Hospice, of Topeka, which made it possible for Raymond to accomplish his final goal to pass away comfortably in his own bed in his own home on his own farm. Raymond Goldsmith was loved by all, and we all will miss him greatly.

Graveside services with military honors will be 2 p.m. Monday, April 25, at Lyndon Cemetery. The family will receive friends 3-4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 24, at the Lyndon United Methodist Church.

Memorial contributions can be made payable to Lyndon High School Honor Flight, sent in care of Feltner Funeral Home, 818 Topeka Ave., Lyndon, KS 66451. Condolences can be left at feltnerfuneralhome.com.