Raymond Eugene Harbaugh, Ray, age 91, died April 10, 2014, in Douglasville, Georgia.  Ray was born January 17, 1923 in Akron, Ohio to the late Mr & Mrs Hiram Harbaugh.  He was the loving and devoted husband of Maurine Pence Harbaugh for 69 years.

Ray spoke fondly of memories from his childhood such as his love of marbles, walking to school with his dog Skippy and a favorite flexible flyer sled he was given for Christmas at age seven.

While attending East High, Ray was too skinny to play football so he ran cross country track. After taking a Latin course, the teacher impressed upon him the importance of an education so Ray decided to drop track and focus on his academics.    He spent his summers working 12 hour days in the muck swamps for 10 cents per hour.

Ray’s parents were supporters of his education and he enrolled at the University of Akron in 1940.  He worked nights at Goodyear, joined DeMolay, a masonic youth organization and a fraternity.  Following his fraternity brothers, he enrolled in the ROTC program and was called up to infantry basic training at Camp Wheeler, Georgia in 1943.  After six months duty in Akron ASTP, he enrolled in the officer training school at Fort Benning, Georgia.  Ray graduated in 1944 as a commissioned Second Lieutenant and was deployed to Camp Carson, Colorado, to train recruits. Most of 1944 was spent training troops in Muscogee, Oklahoma and Colorado Springs.  Ray applied for Office of Strategic Services (OSS), Paratroopers, and Mule Pack TGN and was selected for the Mule Pack TGN at Ft. Riley.  On April 1, 1945 Ray married Maurine Pence from Manhattan, Kansas.  He shipped out the summer of 1945 to join the Burma Road supply chain.  About six hours out of Honolulu, at 2 AM, exhilaration broke out with the news that an atomic bomb had been dropped and the war was practically over.  The troops were diverted to the Philippines for mop up operations and then on to Fukuoka and Yokahama Japan, for duty following the deactivation of the 32nd Red Arrow Division.

After he was dispatched to the Burma Road supply chain, Ray rejoined his wife, Maurine, one year, one month and one day later.  He returned to the University of Akron in 1946 to complete his undergraduate degree, a Bachelors in Education.  Continuing on acquired his Masters Degree in Education from the University of Missouri in 1949.  He later enrolled in a doctoral program at Kansas University in Public Administration that offered a special curriculum in city management training; he obtained his doctorate on August 16, 1950.

Following a year’s internship with the City of Wichita, Kansas, Ray spent two years as assistant to the City Manager in Wichita.  Between 1953 and 1994 he served as City Manager for five cities.  Those cities were Wood River, Illinois; Galesburg, Illinois; Oshkosh, Wisconsin; St. Petersburg, Florida; and Galion, Ohio. During that same time span, he was employed as a consultant to governmental jurisdictions; a development officer at St. Petersburg Junior College; City Clerk of South Pasadena, Florida; and as an advisor to the Royal Commission building the new city of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

Ray was awarded the Management Innovation Award by the International City Management Association.  This was in recognition for developing a program designed to recycle waste water in the city of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Ray is survived by Maurine, his spouse of 69 years, daughter Cathy Shaft of Omaha, Nebraska and son Kenneth Harbaugh and wife Kathy of Douglasville, Georgia, 5 grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren.  Ray and Maurine were members of First Christian Church, in Maryville, Missouri.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2014, at 11 AM, at Chapel Hill Road Baptist Church, 4391 Chapel Hill Rd, Douglasville, GA 30135.  Repast immediately following the service at the Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Public Administration Department at Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas or the Shriners International organization.

Georgia Cremation is assisting the family with arrangements. Georgia Cremation 3116 U.S. Highway 23 Duluth, Georgia 30096 678-584-0914. www.georgiacremation.com