Raymond W. Koester, Long Prairie, 88

November 30, 1925 - September 7, 2014

Funeral Services will be at 1 pm, Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Long Prairie, for Raymond W. Koester, age 88, of Long Prairie who passed away on Sunday at the St. Cloud Hospital. Rev Noah Wehrspann will officiate and burial will be in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery. Family and friends may call two hours prior to the services at the church on Wednesday. Arrangements entrusted to Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home – Stein Chapel, Long Prairie.

Raymond William Koester was born November 30, 1925 in Long Prairie, Minnesota, the son of Albert & Emma (Petersen) Koester. He grew up near Long Prairie and attended District #39 Country School. He went to work for George Dahlman, hauling horses from the Dakotas and Montana. Ray then went to work for George Schmidtknecht hauling ice and freight. In 1947 he went to work for the Starry Construction working on road construction retiring in 1987. He married Janice Ashbaugh on September 10, 1956 at the South Bertha Methodist Church.

Ray was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church. He enjoyed fishing, camping, hunting, listening to old-time music, watching the Minnesota Twins, and in later years, word find and jigsaw puzzles. He spent the past 19 winters in Mission, Texas.

Ray is survived by his wife, Janice, of Long Prairie, children, David (Donna) Koester, Fergus Falls, Donna Koester, Long Prairie, Dale (Connie) Koester, Long Prairie, and Debra Koester, Waite Park, also 7 grandchildren, , Jennifer Pierce, Tammy Rabb, Michael Koester, Tabitha Gertken, Amanda Koester, Lynn Koester, and Laura Koester and four great-grandchildren, Kira, Kaitlyn, Angela, and Aiden.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Helen Bateman.