Raymond Rheault
September 15, 1930 ~ July 1, 2012
Raymond Roland Rheault, 81,of Horace, ND died July 1,2012 at Essentia Health Center, Fargo ND surrounded by his loving wife and family. Ray was born September 15, 1930 in Fargo, ND to Wilfred and Lillian (Cossette) Rheault. He grew up in the Horace, ND area where he went to school and lived all his life. He married Leonie Sauvageau on November 22,1950 at St. Benedict's Catholic Church in Wild Rice, ND.
Ray worked all his life as a carpenter building many new homes and remodeling countless others. Ray was an avid horseshoe player and was inducted into the Horseshoe Hall of Fame in 1989. Ray's passion was his garden which he spent many hours in and loved showing it off to any one that would look. He also enjoyed going to the F-M Redhawks.
Ray is survived by Leonie, his wife of 61 years,children Robert (Patricia) Rheault, Detroit Lakes, MN, Keith (Denise) Rheault, Carson City, NV, Ronald (Ronda) Rheault, West Fargo, ND, Colleen (Rob) Rude, Fargo, ND, Cheryl (Wade) Wise, Moorhead, MN, Les (Jennifer) Rheault, Fargo, ND, Doreen (Brad) Beck, Fergus Falls, MN,19 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by three brothers, Maurice (Joyce) Rheault, Fargo, ND, Clarence Rheault, Fargo, ND, Gerald (Paully) Rheault, Horace, ND, and three sisters, Rachel Sauvageau, Caldwell, ID, Rosemarie (Arcade) Duval, Fargo, ND, Joanne (Les) Johnson, Everett, WA.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Duane Rheault.
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McClellanville scSo very sorry to hear of the passing of your father……
The family of Raymond Rheault is grateful for the generous support of family and friends and would like to express our heartfelt thanks for all the prayers and kindness during this difficult time.
Bonney Lake, WAWe are so very sorry to hear of Raymonds passing. He was such a wonderful man with a smile and a kind word for everyone. What an awesome gardener he was! Wth two green thumbs and eight green fingers he could coax anything to grow.
Our loss is heavens gain! He will be greatly missed,but memories of him will live on in the hearts and minds of each person he touched!
Love,
Dan & Kileen (McMahon) Snyder
Santa Rosa CAI was so shocked and saddened when I found out that my very dear cousin Raymond had died. Raymond was such a vital man that I just believed that he would surely live to be 100 or better. Raymond was the family Historian and the one we all would go to when we wanted to know anything regarding our family heritage. He was an amazing man. When my husband and I would visit ND
we made sure that we would go to the country to see Leoni & Raymond at their farm. I loved having him “show off” his garden to us. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to meet all of you, his children, when I was there to take photos of your parents 50th Anniversary. I would love to hear back from you when things quiet down. Leoni, I am sending you blessings in this sad time. Love to you all, cousin Gloria from California.
Horace ND
We were saddened by the news of Ray’s passing and our prayers and thoughts go to his family.
We live just down the road from them and I would see Ray in the mornings on my way to work when if he was going to the mail box.
I loved to have the extra time on those mornings that I could stop and have a quick chat with him.
He stopped over with offerings from his garden as well and it was so very delicious and so much appreciated. The best part of those gifts was being able to have a little visit with him.
I hadn’t seen him out and about much recently and so often wondered how he was doing.
I’ll miss my friend Ray and feel fortunate for having known him
Horace ND
We are so very sorry for your loss. We too will miss him greatly. He was such a kind, gentle, generous man. As we look around our home there is very little that Ray and Lester did not remodel. Every remodel has a story behind it. How he took his noon nap on the step of the hot tub rather that use the old bed right next to it, in spite of my insisting he could use the bed. How we worried for days that the shower and tub would not fit into the master bath and it did but with less than 1/16th of an inch to spare.
I loved his stories of growing up and not speaking English until he went to school. I learned so much of the French heritage in this area from him. His subtle sense of humor was wonderful. His green thumb was amazing. How much he gave to his church can not be replaced. We can not express how very much he will be missed as a dear friend.
Horace ND
We knew Raymond for many years though church & horseshoe,ect. Ray was an all around great guy. Condolences to the family.
Lakeville MN
Dear Doreen and the Rheault Family,
I am so sorry to hear of your great loss. I know this is a difficult time. I hope and pray for you all.
God Bless,
Sue Miller Duffey
Horace ND
Dearest Leonie and family,
Over the last days, I find myself thinking of Ray. His work in the buildings and on the grounds lives on. More importantly, the spirit of service and that joyful smile that motivated his work is an inspiration that shall never be forgotten by me and anyone else who had the blessing of having known Ray Rheault. We are all richer human beings and Christians for friendship with Ray. May your faith and memories be a source of consolation to you.
Prayerfully,
Father Jared Kadlec
I am so sorry to hear of Raymonds passing!! It was nice running into him a couple weeks before in Wild Rice. He always had a smile & kind words for everyone. He will definitely be missed!!
Riley you know God created a few good heads & the rest he put hair on.
My deepest condolences!!!
Buffalo North Dakota
Gary and I were saddened and shocked to hear of Raymonds passing. Raymond
we will miss him always. Our hearts go out to Leoni and his children. May God be with him.
Detroit Lakes MN
Raymond was a great human being with a unique sense of humor. His carpentry work at St Ben’s is legendary. What a good man. I’ll miss him a lot.
Yuma AZ
Hi sorry to hear about Raymond Rheault family lost. I lived with the grandkids parents as foster child for 11 years, Had alot of fun being there , Will pray for all LeRoy Barbara Zacher(Marquart)
Sandy UtahWe will miss you Uncle Raymond. We have great memories frim the Rheault reunion & meeting all the extended family members. I had the pleasure to be your partner in horseshoes at the family picnic. We got to come to your house & ride on the cart to see your immaculate garden. We ate dinner at your sons house & learned about how many houses you built & he sgowed us all the special features in his. You were truly a great person. Our very best ti the family during this hard time – we love you alk!
Reno NVGrandpa was at his best surrounded by friends and family. He always managed to keep us grandkids entertained with his tricks and toys. He even showed us his horseshoe moves once or twice. There were many times when we would follow him out to the garden just to pick a handful of berries or a vegetable from his prized garden. I will miss dancing with him at weddings and the way he always had a smile and a subtle joke for everyone.
Audubon MN
We are deeply saddened to hear of Raymond’s passing. We always enjoyed visiting with him during Horseshoes. He was such a great man and will be truly missed by many.
Our thoughts & prayers go out to Leonie & the whole family. May God Bless all of You and keep you strong during this difficult time.
Wild Rice ND
The WRHL is very saddened to hear of the loss of one of our great members. He was the last active member of the original founders of our league which started 37 years ago. He was our league Treasurer and sponsored a team called Ray’s Builders. His team won the championship 23 times!! Ray was definitely a legend among the ND
horseshoe community. He was the best mentor and helped many of us improve our game. It was always a pleasure and inspiring to have him present with his humor and good nature. Anyone who knew him had respect and only good things to say about him.
On behalf of the WRHL, we express our sincerest sympathies to the entire Ray Rheault family on your loss. May he go with the grace of god.
Brooklyn Park MN
Colleen and family…saddened to hear of your loss. It’s tough losing your father and I hope your memories bring you some solace at this time.
Wild Rice ND
The WRHL is very sad to see one of our great members leave us. He was definitely a legend among the horseshoe community. He was a mentor to all and tought many of us how to improve our game. When asked why he does that, he would say, “When everyone else pitches better, it makes me pitch better as well!” Everyone respected him and we will miss him dearly.
On behalf of the WRHL, we would like to express our sincerest condolensces to the entire Ray Rheault family, may he rest in peace.
Chandler AZ
I didn’t get to know Raymond, personally, very well however my wife, Kathy, & I had several of his children in our classes at Kindred/Davenport. It seems obvious that his high morals and sense of humor showed in his children. My condolences to the entire family. May the perpetual light shine upon him and may he Rest In Peace.
Ed Stahl
We were so sorry to hear of Raymond’s passing. Our thoughts will be with Leoni and the family. We will remember Raymond with his unique way of making us laugh and smile. He truly was an exceptional individual and it was a pleasure to know him.
Grandpa was truly one of a kind. Everybody knew him and he knew everyone. He was held in such high regard because of his kindness, honesty, and integrity. If it weren’t for being bald, he may have been the perfect human. We lost a good one, but can take away so much from a life lived so well.
I love you Grandpa. Thank you!
Grandpa was truly one of a kind. He knew everybody and everybody knew him. All held him in such high regard because of his kindness, honesty, and integrity. If it weren’t for being bald, he may have been the perfect human. We all lost a good one, but can take away so much from a life lived so well.
I love you Grandpa. Thank you.
Wichita Falls, TexasSorry to hear about your loss..all Family members spoke highly of him.. My Dad enjoyed his sense of humor.. R.I.P. Raymond
Fergus Falls MN
I was so sad to hear about Raymond. He was one of my favorite cousins, and I know he was for many others as well. I always loved seeing Raymond…he sure knew how to make you laugh. He was such a kind hearted man, and very talented when it came to carpentry. You couldn’t ask for a nicer human being than him. My hugs and prayers go out to his family, especially Leoni, who is just as wonderful of a person as Raymond was. Raymond is definately going to be missed by all.
Love from Tona Sauvageau (daughter to Ed and Angela Sauvageau)
Oxbow ND
Leonie and Family,
With heavy hearts my family and I extend our condolences to your family on the loss of Ray. He was truly a gem and we always enjoyed talking with him. I especially was blessed to have seen Ray and talked to him Friday night at the Redhawks game. He will be missed here in our presence but his memory will live on in our hearts for many years to come.
The silent auction will most certainly miss his gifts of the garden and his talent for growing the best gourds and tomatoes. I remember one year in particular where Ray couldn’t believe someone actually paid $38 for a basket of his tomatoes. When I told him I would have paid more but just missed going back to bid, he gave me that sheepish grin and told me that I had too much money! You could always count on seeing him and Leonie at the outside church events and they together were a strong testament to marriage, always seated side by side and enjoying life together. We will miss him.
God be with you all.
Fargo ND
So sorry for your loss. Ray was an incredible man who I enjoyed visiting with every time I saw him. He was quick to smile and always had a light-hearted comment. He was a master-gardener and I cherish his gardening words of wisdom and the “fruits” of his labor with me. I will miss seeing him work in his garden.
Horace ND
Our hearts go out to you in this time of sorrow. Ray was always so friendly and gracious to us. Your family will be in our prayers.
Most repected man I ever meet! Thanks for all the great times the past 45 years. Condolences to Leonie and your family.
Springfield VARolf and I are so sorry for your lose. Raymond was such a sweet, thoughtful man with a great sense of humor. We know he will be greatly missed, but leaves behind lots of beautiful, funny, and fond memories.
Love,
Rolf and Maureen