Raymond John Annen, Jr.
June 17, 1938 ~ April 27, 2014
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Asheville Butterfly Trail
Raymond John Annen, Jr., 75, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, April 27, 2014 at his residence.
Raymond was born June 17, 1938 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to the late Raymond John Annen, Sr and Julia Mae Humble Annen. He also was preceded in death by an older brother, Ronald Ray Annen who died in infancy and his dear aunt, Bertie Humble.
Raymond was a hair dresser all of his life. He was a devoted member of St. Barnabas Catholic Church, a staunch Republican and an avid gardener. He helped plant the roses at the St. Lawrence Basilica downtown Asheville and did the landscaping around Ravencroft condominiums where he had been active on the condominium board. He had a big heart, which led him to sponsor a child named Enrique in Guatemala for several years.
He is survived by his sons, John Annen of Switzerland and Scott Annen of Milwaukee, WI; a granddaughter, Stephanie Annen, and several aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
A funeral mass will be held at 2:00 pm, Saturday, May 10, 2014 at St. Barnabas Catholic Church in Arden at 2:00 pm with Father Adrian Porras officiating. A reception will follow the mass at the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Vincent De Paul Society, P.O. Box 39, Arden, NC 28704 or to the Asheville Humane Society, 14 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville, NC 28806.
Raymond Annen
Rest in Peace, Raymond. ‘Thank you’ for highlighting my hair all these many years. I will miss your friendship, Raymond, but, happy to have known you and my Thoughts and Prayers reach out to your family. Betty McCallister
Our deepest sympathy to Raymond’s family. We first met Raymond 12 years ago at my cousin’s condo at Ravenscroft. He was always so full of life and excitement and will be missed. Life was an ‘adventure’ for him. Sincerely, Wayne & Neil Jordan
My sympathy to Raymond’s family. I was part of Raymond’s clientele for his expertise in hair coloring. Being from Louisiana (as he too originally was) we found many ‘things Southern’ to discuss during my appointments at the salon: culture, customs and especially southern cuisine! He also told interesting stories of his life and his long career. The main thing I admired about Raymond was his gentleness and kindness. He was a true southern gentleman, and I am glad I knew him. Sincerely, Elisabeth (Betty) Hawkins
Heartfelt sympathy for Raymond’s family. Raymond was a fount of information. Loved talking to Raymond. It was a real shock hearing of his passing. I believe Raymond was a true Christian. Who loved and praised God for the sacrifice of Christ for his salvation. I heard him many times say how good God was. He was a kind and caring man. And will be greatly missed by all who knew him. I know I’ll miss him. In fact, I was just thinking about Raymond a few days before his death. Thinking I needed to get in touch with Raymond and see how he was doing. I was just so shocked when I heard of his passing.
Raymond and I had many long talks while manning the Republican election office together about his lifetime activity in the Republican Party. He taught me a lot about the history of the Republican Party, and about being an effective worker for the party. He was a Patriot and a lover of freedom. Oh how we will miss him. God allowed me to meet Raymond, and he enriched my life. My God have mercy and ease the families grief.
Kathy Rhodarmer