Raymond Bales

Raymond Ferril Bales, 94, passed away on June 9, 2014 in Fort Worth, Texas. Graveside services will be 11:00 a.m., Friday, June 13, 2014 in the Mexia Cemetery. Raymond was born January 27, 1920 in Burkburnett, Texas to T. W. and Ora Bales. He grew up in Mexia where he attended Forest Glade Elementary and Mexia High School. He always thought of Mexia as his home. During his time at Mexia High School, he spent his after school time delivering papers on a 20 mile paper route that went from downtown to the Reunion Grounds. He delivered the Mexia Daily News on his bicycle for four years. Soon after graduating high school, he earned a pilot's license and flew a piper cub out of the now non-existent airfield southeast of Mexia. He was affectionately known as Talespin Bales for the antics he performed while flying. During this time, he attended Westminister College in Tehuacana and was often scowled upon by his professors for buzzing the school's copula during class, but they went ahead and used his aerial photographs of the college for their cover photo. He was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division during World War II and later worked for General Dynamics in Fort Worth. He had a lifelong interest in photography. Raymond is survived by his son, Steve Bales of Aledo, TX; daughter, Lori Whitney of Cambridge, MN; stepdaughter, Toni Nelson of Cambridge, MN; granddaughter, Kristi Ibarra of North Richland Hills; and grandson, Eric Boyes of Azle. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Delores Jean Freeman. Memorials may be made to Alzheimer's Association - online at: www.alz.org.

Service Information

Friday, June 13th, 2014 11:00am, Mexia Cemetery