Raymond R. Becker
Of Arlington Heights

Raymond R. Becker was 83 years young and born May 14, 1927 in Oak Park, Illinois to Stanley and Susan (nee Swaney) Becker. Mr. Becker was married to his loving and lovely wife, June, for 59 years but they grew up together and knew each other for over 70 years. They lived in Arlington Heights for more than 45 years.
 

They have three children: Raymond R., Susan M. Paige, and Marc R.
In 1948, Mr. Becker left DePaul University in his senior year to enter the Dominican House of Studies in River Forest as a seminarian with the goal of becoming a Catholic Priest - - - following his brother who was ordained a Dominican in 1954.
 

In 1951, Mr. Becker completed his seminary studies and returned to DePaul University were be was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy in 1954. This same year June and he were married.
A year later, he was employed by the Chicago Sun-Times as a general assignment reporter having completed his one year of training at the City News Bureau of Chicago which closed in 1998. City Press was the training ground for many of Chicago’s great reporters and writers.
 

His first assignment at the Sun-Times was to write obits. While there, as a full-time Sun-Times reporter, he accepted a part-time job as editor of the Lerner weekly newspaper, the Lincoln- Belmont Booster.
 

In 1970 Mr. Becker accepted the assignment of Director of Information for the Illinois Board of Economic Development. At the request of then Governor Otto Kerner, Mr. Becker and five others were directed to establish a Department of Commerce which was non-existent since a Governor did not have the authority to create a department, only the Legislature could. It took five years to accomplish this task but it was done. At times, Mr. Becker was asked to write speeches for the Governor based on the economic conditions at the time.
 

In 1980, he was asked to be the Executive Director of the Illinois Road Builders Association now known as the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association. His work not only included communications but lobbying the state in Springfield with further efforts in Washington, D.C
 

After 18 years with the Road Builders, Mr. Becker retired at the age of 69. At that time, he accepted part-time employment at DePaul University’s Lake Forest campus where he remained for four years until DePaul merged with Barat College, also located in Lake Forest.
 

Ray and June were very active at St. James Catholic Church in Arlington Heights for 45 years. He was Co-Chairman of the churches 25th Anniversary Celebration as well as Chairman of its year-long Centennial Celebration in 2002.
 

He also was active as a volunteer for the Northwest Community Hospital, the Arlington Heights Memorial Library and the Alexian Center for Mental Health.
 

Visitation 4 – 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at the at the Glueckert Funeral Home, Ltd., 1520 N. Arlington Heights Road (four blocks south of Palatine Rd.,) Arlington Heights. Prayers 9:15 AM, Wednesday to St. James Church, 831 N. Arlington Heights Rd., Arlington Heights, IL 60004 for Mass of Resurrection at 10:00 AM. Interment St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery, Palatine.
 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alexian Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt Lake Lane, Suite 114, Arlington Heights, 60005 or to St. James Church.


 

Glueckert Funeral Home