Calvin Monroe Rayes

Calvin Monroe Rayes of Corpus Christi, Texas, passed away peacefully on November 23, 2023, at the age of 94. A native of Yorktown, Texas, Calvin was born to the late Sidney Monroe Rayes and Alice Myra (Karm) Rayes on August 29, 1929. On September 29, 1957, Calvin married Vernell Elaine Gruetzmacher at the St. Paul Lutheran Church of Yorktown and so together they celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary last year in September 2022.

Calvin is survived by his two sons, Clinton Monroe Rayes (Deborah) and Byron Wesley Rayes (Patricia); daughter Karen Michelle Sutton (Dan); grandchildren Sidney Rayes (Jocelyn), Sarah Rayes, Kevin Rayes, Kristen Sutton and Dylan Sutton and great-granddaughter Juliana Rayes.

Calvin is preceded in death by his wife Vernell (August 2023), parents Sidney Monroe Rayes and Alice (Karm) Johnson, his older sister Dorothy Mae Rayes (deceased at birth), his younger half-sister Mary Belle (Johnson) Edwards and younger half-brother Bobby Johnson.

From his birth and humble beginnings on a small dirt farm in Dewitt County just outside Yorktown, the first 10 years of his life coincided with the full span of the Great Depression from 1929 to 1939. At the age of 2 and as the first and only living child then, he tragically lost his father in a hunting accident while he was literally out trying to put food on the table.

His mother Alice re-married and from that union came his beloved half-sister Mary Belle and half-brother Bobby. Despite his challenging and hardscrabble upbringing, Dad was an excellent student and upon graduation from high school at age 17 and with his mother’s written permission, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Following an honorable discharge, he earned his B.S. of Natural Gas Engineering from Texas A&I in Kingsville, Texas in 1954. It was there in college that Dad took up boxing in the Golden Gloves and other amateur ranks and was so successful that he almost turned pro but chose to pursue his academic degree instead.

While in college, Dad also roughnecked for the old Humble Oil Company on the King Ranch whenever he could to help make ends meet. Upon graduation, that hardhat experience coupled with his engineering degree set the course for the rest of an amazing oilfield career that spanned 60 years until at age 84, he finally retired as a well-known wellsite consultant after years of earlier employment with Western Natural Gas, Mobil Oil and subsequent independents, all over New Mexico and the Four Corners region, West Texas, South Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, Alabama and even post-Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1990’s.

In 1957 Dad married the love of his life and our mother, Vernell Gruetzmacher, who became his earthly and now eternal soulmate, with whom he shared her last 7 months in their combined care until she herself slipped away this past August.

So for nearly 66 years before then, Dad was not only a loving and faithful husband and wonderful father, he was also a long-time Baptist Deacon, at both Morgan Avenue and Brighton Park Baptist Churches in Corpus Christi. Many grown men today will fondly remember him as their 6th-grade Sunday School teacher at Morgan Avenue, while some of those and many others will also remember him as their Golden Gloves boxing coach in the ABC (“Any Boy Can”) boxing club, including his own son Byron, well into the 1980’s.

All along that long life’s way of his, Dad made countless friends who knew him not only as an original Yorktown farm boy or former Marine or hard-nosed boxer or old-school oilfield Company Man or harmonica- playing maestro or boxing coach who into his 50’s could still jump into the ring to spar with young fighters less than half his age, but also as one of the kindest, warmest and most generous gentlemen that they ever knew.

Our father will be greatly missed not only by us his family, but by all who knew him, worked with him and worshiped with him.

Visitation will be held December 16, 2023, from 10:00 to 11:00 am at Finch Funeral Chapel in Yorktown TX with funeral services starting at 11:00 am. Interment will follow at the Woods Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers the family has suggested that memorials may be given to the Woods Cemetery Association, attn Citizens Bank Yorktown, P.O. Box 185, Yorktown TX 78164, or to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 792, Yorktown TX 78164 ‒ both of which are hometown institutions for which Calvin and Vernell were longtime supporters or to Brighton Park Baptist Church, 3418 Airline Road, Corpus Christi TX 78414.

Arrangements are in the care of Finch Funeral Chapel, 212 E Main St, Yorktown, TX 78164; (361) 564-2277. Online condolences can be shared at finchfuneralchapels. com.