Obituary of Richard Martin Raines

Richard Martin Raines, 77, passed away peacefully at his home in Herndon, VA on April 1, 2020 after a long illness with Lewy Body Dementia.  Richard was born on December 3, 1942, in Adrian, WV to Rev. Otis Raines and Helena Raines (Barkley).  His father being a minister and moving every 3 years, they lived in many different communities throughout WV and MD.

Richard graduated from Cameron High School in 1960 and continued his education studying Auto Mechanics at Clarksburg Vocational School. He served in the United States Navy for four years at Johnsville, PA.  In the Navy, he began his love for airplanes and continued that education at Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics.  He then began his 34-year career with Delta Air Lines at O’Hare Airport and later moved on to National and Dulles Airports. After retiring from Delta, Richard continued to work for Delta Global Services for several years.

He married Sara Ann Moore Raines in 1969 in Durbin, WV. Together they were blessed with four children. Richard was an all-around “Mr. Fix-it”. He loved working on cars, airplanes, or anything he could get his hands on and thought he could fix.  His other hobbies were his children and grandchildren. He tried to never miss a sports game, church, or school activity they were in.

He is preceded in death by his infant sister; parents, Otis and Helena Raines; brother, Hal Raines; and grandson, Daniel Raines.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sara Raines; a sister Barbara DeLong and brother-in-law Charlie Delong of Chester, WV; and a brother Terry Raines and sister-in-law Anna Raines of New Cumberland, WV. He is also survived by a daughter Betina Peyton and son-in-law Mark Peyton of Charles Town, WV; three sons, Curtis and Kevin Raines of Herndon and Andrew Raines and daughter-in-law Michelle Raines of Charles Town; as well as three grandchildren, Alex and Lucy Peyton and Emily Raines. 

Due to the pandemic, there will be a private funeral and burial with immediate family. A Celebration of Life service will be planned when restrictions are lifted. 

In lieu of flowers, please support Insight Memory Care of Fairfax (InsightMCC.org), where Richard enjoyed being a part of the community for the past three years, or Lewy Body Dementia Association (www.lbda.org).