Raymond "Ray" G. Wicklander, 98, Washburn, ND died May 25, 2019 at Sanford Health, Bismarck. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM Saturday, June 1, 2019 at the Washburn United Methodist Church with Pastor Kayla Buckley officiating. Interment will be held in the Riverview Cemetery, Washburn with military rites provided by the Washburn American Legion and U.S. Navy. Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM Friday at Goetz Funeral Home, Washburn. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the church.

Ray was born February 16, 1921 the son of George and Selma Wicklander on the family farm six miles East of Washburn. His grandparents from Viksjo, Sweden had homesteaded there in 1882. He was the second of eleven siblings. The family moved into Washburn in 1927. Ray joined the Boy Scouts of America and became an Eagle Scout and in 1937 he attended the first National Scout Jamboree in Washington DC.

He graduated from the Washburn High School in 1938 and also attended Minot State College and the following year attended NDAC in Fargo. That summer he went to Minneapolis, MN and enlisted in the US Navy Air Corps. He received orders on December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor, to report for duty on December 18, 1941. Ray reported to Minneapolis and then was sent to New Orleans for flight training. Ray came home on leave and proposed to Peggy Starbuck before going on to San Diego, CA. They were married on February 6, 1943 in San Diego. On March 3, 1943 Ray shipped out to San Francisco and on to Hawaii. Peggy returned home to Washburn. While in Hawaii the Squadron VB19 flew daily, practicing dive bombing and gunnery. He spent most of his military time in the South Pacific doing flights off the USS Lexington. On November 5, 1944 the Lexington was hit by a Japanese kamikaze. Ray received flash burns and both eardrums were ruptured. He spent time aboard a hospital ship on his way back to the states. His next orders in March of 1945 were to go to Corpus Christi, TX. With travel time and leave, Ray returned to Washburn to pick up his wife and daughter. Then it was south to Corpus Christi and his new assignment. Ray was released from active duty on December 8, 1945.

They returned to Washburn after the war and he went into the farm implement business with his father. They sold the Case machinery and Kaiser/Frazer automobiles. They also opened a bowling alley in Washburn after moving the farm dealership west of town. Through the years, Ray was involved in many civic groups and activities. He was involved with the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Washburn American Legion, McLean County Historical Society and the Washburn United Methodist Church. He was involved with getting the memorial building, swimming pool and the restoration of the Sioux Ferry . In his later years Ray started raising buffalo with his son Dan, who continues with Ray's dream of having buffalo roam the prairie.

Ray loved to travel with his wife and family, they visited the 50 states, Canada and Mexico. Ray and Peggy visited as much of the world as they could always and always returned with interesting stories and pictures.

Ray is survived by his son, Dan (Sandi) Wicklander of Washburn; his daughters, Cheryl Wicklander of Portland, OR, Marcia Walker of Port Orchard, WA and Linda (Jim) Williamson of Missoula, MT; his grandchildren, Katie (Justin) Work, Matthew (Courtney) Walker, Annie (John) Baumann, Mike Williamson, Jennifer (Luke) Hennessy, Lindsey Wicklander, Karla (Jeff) Nelson and Karen (Joel) Zwinger; his great grandchildren, Harper and Reese Baumann, Brooklyn, Jayden and Logan Zwinger and Carter June Hennessy on April 22, 2019; his brother, Paul Wicklander of Lansing, MI; his sisters, Dorothy Antilla of Raymond, WA, Roberta Noon of Wilton, ND, Nancy Geigle of Shady Cove, OR and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife June "Peggy" of 75 years and six sibling, Betty, Margaret, Almira, Grace, Gary and Alan.