Raymond Lee Lesoine

Raymond Lee Lesoine

Parrish, Florida

Raymond Lee Lesoine, 74, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving wife of 39 years and their family Wednesday, September 29, 2021. Ray was born January 11, 1947 in Portsmouth, Virginia.  His parents were Elwood Ira “Bud” Lesoine and Glister Stallings Lesoine, and Ray was one of three sons, including his twin brother Roger and younger brother Richard.

Ray grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia and graduated Churchland High School in 1965.  His parents were both Army WWII veterans, and he took his dad’s advice to join the Navy for the promise of “three squares and a warm bunk.” Ray advanced rapidly during his service as a machinist mate MM1 on the destroyer USS Vogelgesang DD862, and he served for seven years 1965 through 1972.  During his time on the Vogelgesang, Ray served in the waters of Vietnam, on two Mediterranean cruises, and an around the world cruise.

He married Camille Justice Roberts in 1982, and they had one child, Taylor “Melody” Lesoine.

Raymond worked for Dominion Resources (formerly Virginia Power) and retired after nearly 30 years. He was outage manager/planner for the Dominion Bath County Pumped Storage Station, and he was outage planner for other power plants throughout the Dominion Resources system.

Ray enjoyed spending weekends and vacations at the Outer Banks of North Carolina, first with this parents and brothers and later with his own children. He enjoyed surf fishing and driving his dune buggy and jeep on the beach. Over the years, Ray earned his private pilot license, played tennis and, as he put it, “played way too much golf.”

After retirement, Ray and Camille sold their home in Chesapeake, Virginia, and moved aboard their trawler “We3” with Taylor and their two dachshunds. They cruised for one year on “America's Great Loop,” a circular route of the Intracoastal Waterway that took them from the Eastern Seaboard, across Ontario to Lake Michigan, down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico to the western shores of Florida where they purchased a new home in Parrish, FL.

Ray was diagnosed in 2005 with Inclusion Body Myositis, a rare autoimmune muscle wasting disease. He was very active with the SE Florida KIT Myositis Support Group and was a speaker at The Myositis Association's National Patient Conferences. He presented sessions about veteran medical benefits and coping with Myositis. Ray's positive attitude in spite of his disability was inspirational to all he met. Throughout Ray's disability years, Ray and Camille continued traveling throughout the United States, as well as France and the Mediterranean including Egypt. He liked to think that he gave many Myositis patients the spark to find a way to continue having a good life in spite of their disease. Ray's constant companion was his faithful service dog Pacman.

Raymond is survived by his wife Camille Justice Lesoine and Taylor “Melody” Lesoine. He is also survived by children of his first marriage to Virginia Carlsen Sweeney: sons Timothy Michael Lesoine, David Alan Lesoine (Kris), and daughter Helen Marie Malone. Ray is survived by nine grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his twin Roger (Jeanne) and survived by brother Richard (Beth) and many nephews and nieces.

Ray's memorial services will be on Thursday, October 14 at 10:00 AM Faith Lutheran Church, Parrish, Florida. He will be interred in Sarasota National Cemetery at 2:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, Ray has requested donations be made to The Myositis Association (research), Myositis.org; or Canine Companions for Independence, canine.org.