Raymond Dillon Obituary

Raymond W. Dillon Jr.

October 24, 1943 - October 24, 2025

Columbia, Illinois - Raymond W. Dillon, Jr. 82, of Columbia, IL, born Sunday, October 24, 1943, in East Saint Louis, IL, passed away on his birthday Friday, October 24, 2025 in Belleville, IL. He passed away peacefully at Dammert Geriatric Care, part of the Benedictine Campus at Our Lady of the Snows.

Ray attended the Jacksonville School for the Deaf and was an assistant in the Graphic Arts Department of Defense Mapping in St. Louis, MO.

He loved cats, especially his beloved Chicko. He also enjoyed drawing, painting and traveling with his family in his younger days.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Loretta (Wilson) Dillon; his uncle, Tom (Edna) Dillon; his cousins, Rose Dillon Clark, Marylou Severson, and Ann Waters.

He is survived by his cousins, Kathleen Dillon Yaekel, Patricia Dillon Beckmann, Jack (Nichelle Baldwin) Thomas Yaekel, Bradley Beckmann, Chester "Pete" (Judy) Smith, and Diane (James) Severson Sizemore; lifelong friends, Reda (Billy) Walker and many other cousin.

Special thanks to the staff of Garden Place Assisted Living in Columbia, IL who provided compassionate care to Ray over the years, especially Shontae who was with him from the beginning. Thanks also to the staff at Dammert Geriatric Care where Ray spent his final days with the help and support of Hospice of Southern Illinois. Many thanks to Margie Huffman RN and Attorney Heidi Dodd who did so much to help Ray. We sincerely appreciate all of you.

Ray is now wrapped in the arms of those who were waiting for him. After the silence and darkness he lived with, he can now hear the music, see all of the colors of the rainbow and run free. May you rest in peace.

Services: Private family interment at Mount Carmel Cemetery, Belleville, IL