Raymond Paul Rader, Jr. passed away Thursday, April 1, 2021, in Huntersville.
Born June 19, 1952, in Elizabeth, he was a son of the late Raymond Paul and Carolyn Sims Rader.
He graduated from Wirt County High School 1970.
Paul attended West Virginia Institute of Technology graduating in 1978 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Paul showed mech- anical aptitude and interests at an early age.
His college education was interrupted when he was drafted into the US Army. He served two years in the military police. Paul stated his job was “to drive the generals around” at Tripler Army Hospital in Hawaii, however, he was also privileged to drive returning Vietnam POWs who came through Tripler on their way home after they were liberated.
He enjoyed running BMW cars at Mid-Ohio and working on pit crews as a young man. In later years, he turned to enjoying NASCAR races and passed that love on to his grandson, Anthony.
He married Sandra Keen Rader September 23, 1994.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister-in-law, Kathy Powell; and brother-in-law, Jonathan Spero.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters of the heart, Buffy (Tow) Wiseman and Jodi (Kevin) Waugh; nine grandchildren of the heart called him PawPaw (PaulPaul), Tara, Dain-aira, Mollie, Kelly, Anthony, Brianna, Olivia, Kaley and Cameron; as well as great-grandson, Dawson; sisters, Susan (Alan) White and Jessie Spero; brothers, James Rader and Fred (Carol) Rader; and brothers-in-law, Larry (June) Keen and Gerald (Mary) Keen.
Paul and Sandy enjoyed playing pool, earning trophies for their success in the pool leagues when they lived in Charleston. In fact, their pool table was the first piece of furniture moved in to the farmhouse they purchased.
Paul spent his life caring for the environment and land. After graduating from West Virginia Tech, he began his employment with West Virginia Air Pollution Control Commission in Charle-ston. Paul retired with 30 years of service.
Paul and Sandy moved to Huntersville, where they purchased a farm and continued to care for the land and environment. Among other things, they cared for rescued mustangs and took in any stray dog or cat that came to the farm. Paul’s gentle caring nature was evident in Sandy’s tales of him gathering baby black snakes nesting too close to the house for Sandy’s comfort and taking them to a field a distance from the house.
In his retirement, he has been serving on the Pocahontas Solid Waste Authority Board where he supported providing clean solutions for disposing of recyclable and non-recyclable trash.
Funeral service was held Wednesday, April 7, 2021, at Elizabeth Baptist Church with the Rev. Larry VanHorn officiating.
Interment will be at Two Runs Cemetery in Palestine.
