06/25/2025
Raymond Pete Junk
November 26, 1941 ~ May 31, 2025
Raymond Pete Junk Born: November 26, 1941 – Tecumseh, Oklahoma Died: May 31, 2025 – Age 83 Raymond Pete Junk passed away at the age of 83 after long and difficult battles with congestive heart failure - caused by a congenital heart valve defect - and diabetes. He was born in Tecumseh, Oklahoma on November 26, 1941, to Henry O. Junk and Pearlee Louella Junk (née Powers). Shortly after his birth, his mother took him east to rural Oklahoma, where he spent his early years in towns like Okmulgee, Natura, and Eram. He graduated from high school in Eram, a small town east of Okmulgee that, as Dad told me, was “wiped off the map by a tornado long ago.” After high school, he moved back to Tecumseh to live with his father and work in a salvage yard removing tires. But he quickly grew tired of the work - and living with his father - so he returned to Okmulgee and enlisted in the Navy on January 29, 1960. A Life of Service and Family He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the same ship as his brother Buck, the USS Hunt, and was honorably discharged to the US Navy Reserve on December 30, 1963. He said serving with his brother, who was senior to him, had challenges but also made for some good times. Around 1964, he met LaVonne Clark at a dance club and pursued her with unwavering persistence - even calling her at her job at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City, where she worked as a PBX operator. She eventually agreed to a date, a relationship developed, and they married in 1964. They had two children: Raymond Jr. in 1965 and Johnnie June (now Ashlynn Pierce) in 1968. In 1968, the family moved to Washington state so LaVonne could be closer to her parents, Grandma and Grandpa McCorkle (Bobby and June). Dad found work at the Alcoa Aluminum plant, where he worked alongside Grandpa McCorkle. They all enjoyed social Saturday nights playing pool in the basement of our home (and theirs), both of which had been converted into elaborate pool halls while the kids watched Emergency and Adam 12 on the upstairs TV. Our family lived in Battleground and Vancouver until returning to Oklahoma in 1974 to be near his aging parents.
In the early 1970s, Dad lovingly took in two more children from LaVonne’s previous marriage - James and Sondra Fire, then ages five and seven. He raised them as his own until they graduated and started families of their own. Jim recently said, “Dad told me, ‘Boy, you gotta be a straight shooter.’ That’s what comes to mind when I think of Dad. He was absolutely honest, never sugarcoating what he meant. Yet, he always said it with kindness and resolve. He was generous with the less fortunate, because he understood what struggling meant. He never shied away from hard work, paid bills when due, and kept his word. He was the best straight shooter ever.” Work, Skill, and Quiet Strength During the 1980s, Dad worked at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City as a pneudraulic systems technician, maintaining and repairing flight systems on military aircraft such as the KC-135 Stratotanker, B-52 Stratofortress, and E-3 Sentry AWACS. He specialized in systems that used both air and hydraulic pressure - servicing landing gear, flight controls, braking systems, and in-flight refueling mechanisms. His work, though unseen by most, was essential to the safety and readiness of these aircraft during a vital period of the Cold War. He also volunteered with Meals on Wheels in the 1990s for about ten years and was always looking for ways to help others when he could. Family and Legacy Dad was one of seven children. He is survived by his sisters Frankie Williams and Mattie Houck of Midwest City. He was preceded in death by his siblings Norma, Nancy, Buck, and Tommy. One sibling died shortly after birth. His brother Tommy passed away at age 22, after years of illness and hospitalization. He is also survived by children, Raymond Junk Jr. and his wife Susan, Ashlynn Pierce, stepchildren James Fire and his wife Vero, and Sondra Merritt and her husband Keith. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Jennifer Clark and Kevin Clark, and one great-granddaughter, Mackenzie, along with many others who he proudly considered his grandchildren and great grandchildren, and a number of nieces and nephews. In Dad’s final days, Jennifer stayed with him in the hospital offering him comforting care with massages and comfort food along with his “chew,” a habit that gave him comfort until the day he died. His great granddaughter, Mackenzie, sang to him in his final hours in the ICU - something we have every reason to believe brought him peace. The Artist and the Man Dad loved to paint, and he painted what he loved: cowboys, movie stars, goats, and even the occasional sasquatch - on anything from canvas to cabinets to garage doors. Painting helped him stay grounded in his solitude, giving him something to focus his heart and mind on. He was also a builder and a tinkerer. He constructed picnic tables, shelves, home additions, and even a house. His most stubborn project was his John Deere lawn mower, which he worked on - unceasingly - for months until shortly before his death.
Struggles, Redemption, and Faith Dad was honest about his past. “I didn’t get an instruction manual for life,” he told me not long ago. Dad admitted that alcohol had cost him a great deal - his marriage, jobs, and years of connection with those he loved. But he overcame both alcoholism and smoking and transformed into a man of gentleness and quiet resolve. In the years after he became sober, we came to know a man we hadn’t met before - someone full of grace, honesty, and love. Dad never pretended to be perfect. He knew that life was more about how we face our mistakes than how we avoid them. He believed he had been forgiven, and he told me that he trusted in God’s mercy. He told me plainly that he had been baptized when he was young, that he believed his sins were forgiven, and that he was at peace. A Gentle Giant In years past, Mother thought of Dad as a “Gentle Giant.” He never cursed - a trait she especially loved and one we all learned as well. Though they later divorced, Dad never stopped being kind to her. He gave her gas money when she visited, welcomed her always, and even welcomed her husband, Wally. She was the only woman he ever married. Dad lived a quiet, simple life marked by struggle, service, and strength. He came from poverty and hardship and didn’t complain. In the end, though he lost much, he found peace - and gave us all a glimpse of what redemption looks like when it’s lived quietly and humbly. Dad was not defined by his mistakes. He was defined by how he overcame mistakes and by the man he became. He was a gentleman artist, a volunteer. He was humble to a fault, he lived a simple life, and he loved his family and demonstrated his loyalty to the very end, even when it proved difficult. He was a hard worker – a trait he demonstrated his entire life. Our Dad will be remembered, dearly missed, and loved, even though he is no longer with us in this present time. According to Dad’s wishes, he was cremated and quietly laid to rest in the New Hope Baptist Church of Tecumseh, Oklahoma on Saturday, June 7th, 2025 alongside other family.
