Obituary of Robert Raines

Bob was not only a gentleman; he was a Gentle-Man. Robert W. Raines was born on May 23, 1929 in Turon , Kansas to Ben and Marguerite (Haney) Raines. He went through his sophomore year in Turon and then he went to Kemper Military Academy in Booneville, Missouri graduating from High School. He attended Colorado A&M for 2 quarters and then joined the United States Navy for 4 years. Bob met his wife Donna Cox in Limon, Colorado where she was working as a soda fountain clerk when he came home from boot camp. Bob and Donna were married on November 30, 1951. Donna then joined Bob in the San Diego, California area where he was stationed. Donna graduated from San Diego Jr College. Bob and Donna had 2 children, their son Rob and daughter Kristie. Kristie lived in Colorado Springs until the time of her death from cancer at age 33. Rob and his wife Luinda (Lu) live on the family farm south of Limon. In 1955 they moved back to Colorado from California and Bob went back to college at Colorado State University in Fort Collins that summer. He graduated in 1959 with a BS in Animal Production, minoring in Soils. Bob's love for farming started while he was a young teen working for an uncle when his family lived in Kansas. His family was involved in an elevator business and later purchased the John Deere dealership in Limon, Colorado where he learned the ability of working on all types of equipment. Bob and his brother Marion partnered in a farm/ranch. Before Bob went into the Navy the brothers split the land. After Bob returned from the Navy and finished college he did a combination of farming and cattle which included winter wheat, corn, sunflowers (oils), proso millet, pinto beans and silage. Bob also severed in the Limon community and Lincoln County in many ways. He was on town council, school board, Limon Heritage museum board and Lions club member. He was a member of Land Use board, Soil Conservation board and served as past president of the Agricultural Stabilization Conservation Services as well as a past chapter president of Flying Farmers. Bob was active in the United Methodist church of Limon and a 32nd Degree Mason. Volunteer work included clean up and spraying weeds at Heritage museum, taking care of the weeds around the runway lights and the airport. He was always ready to help clean up at any function he attended with a smile on his face. Bob's favorite hobby and pastime was flying. He was a member of International Flying Farmers for over 50 years. He was named 2017 Heartland Chapter Flying Farmer of the Year and had been a licensed pilot since he was 18 years old. Bob had owned a Taylorcraft, a Piper Super Cruiser, a Cessna 172 and a Cessna 182 Skylane. If you were a passenger on a flight with him, as soon as the plane was in the hanger out came a bucket of water, sponges a chamois cloth and a step stool. You were expected to help clean off the bugs on the plane while they were still fresh. Bob is survived by his son Rob and wife Luinda (Lu), granddaughter Carol, 3 great grandsons, Dylan, John and Devyn, many nieces, nephews and their families and friends. Memorial Contributions can be donated to: HTTPS://sungatekids.org/donate Sungate Kids P.O.Box 3554 Englewood, Colorado 80155