After 94 eventful years, Raymond Medrano has left us and gone on to the hereafter. Raymond was born in Ft. Worth, TX on March 15th, 1921 and left this world on March 27, 2015. His father, Petronilo Medrano and mother, Maria Petra Lopez Medrano, were some of the first wave of Mexican immigrants to the United States. Petronilo worked in the copper mines in Colorado before settling his family in Galion joining other relatives.
Although the 1920’s were high employment years in Galion, Ray said that during the Depression of the 30’s, they had to get coal from the Erie RR coal cars parked by the house on Harding Way East to survive the Ohio winters.
Ray graduated from Galion High School in 1938. After working in local industries, during WW II, Ray and a Galion friend, Max Hofmeister signed up to be civilian workers at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Honolulu, HA. After receiving training in Mare Island in Richmond, CA, Ray was on a Liberty Ship to Honolulu. There, he helped to fix and maintain Navy warships and sea vessels. Also, during his Hawaii years, Raymond under his boxing name, Joe Medrano, honed his boxing skills and in 1945 achieved the CYO American Athletic Union (AAU) welterweight champion of the Hawaiian Islands. One of his sparring partners was “Bobo” Olson who later had three professional fights with champion Sugar Ray Robinson.
After returning to Galion in 1949, Ray helped train boxers at Galion High School. He worked in local industries including Hercules, Peabody and Malo Brothers. In 1960, Raymond married Maria Aranda Liscano who preceded him in death in 1989. In 1999, Ray married Gloria Hardman who passed away in 2012.
Ray loved to read and cultivated a garden for many years. He was a member of the former St. Patrick’s and St. Joseph’s Catholic church and a member of the Knights of Columbus.
During Ray’s final last years, with the assistance and companionship of his step-son, Michael, he enjoyed connecting and reuniting with old and new Galion friends, dancing at the Moose and other local clubs, going to Ohio State basketball games, and celebrating the food, music and old-world ambience at Galion’s Mexican restaurant.
Ray was preceded in death by his brother’s Salvador, Alex, and Manuel (who fought at the Battle of the Bulge).
He is survived by his step-children, Connie Liscano Pearce (David) of Corpus Christi, TX, Michael Liscano in Galion, and Robert Liscano of San Ramon, CA, and six step-grandchildren and seven step-great grandchildren.
Family will receive friends from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at Richardson Davis Chapel of Snyder Funeral Homes, 218 South Market St., Galion. This will be followed by a Memorial Mass celebrated at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 135 North Liberty St., Galion with Father John Miller as Celebrant. Interment will be at the Mt. Calvary Cemetery. Following will be a luncheon for friends and family at the St. Joseph’s Activity Center.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, the Galion Public Library or the charity of your choice in care of the funeral home.
Snyder Funeral Home Richardson Davis Chapel in Galion is honored to serve the family of Raymond Medrano, and condolences may be made to them at www.SnyderFuneralHomes.com.
