Raymond C. Esping

Raymond C. Esping, 89, a long-time resident of Bettendorf, Iowa died on Monday, January 05, 2009 at the Kahl Home for the Aged in Davenport, Iowa.
His funeral service will be held at 10:30 A.M. Thursday, January 8, 2009 at Grace Lutheran Church of Davenport where he was a long and faithful member. Visitation will be from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Wednesday at the McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf. Family interment services will take place in Funk, Nebraska. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Grace Lutheran Church.
He was born November 3, 1919 in Funk, Nebraska the son of Luther & Esther (Clay) Esping.and was a 1937 graduate of District 53 High School. Ray enjoyed life on the farm, but the 20’s & 30’s were not good for farmers. His dad was determined that Ray not become a farmer and scraped up enough money to get Ray enrolled at Luther College where he majored in education with an emphasis in mathematics. After college graduation in 1939, Ray taught for several years in District 53.
In 1942, Ray was called to the U.S. Army for 3 ½ years with 27 months of service in the South West Pacific. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in anti-artillery and was honorably discharged in 1945.
In the fall of 1946, Ray enrolled at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois where he majored in math and science. In June of 1947, just prior to his senior year, he married Miranda Lavada “Randi” Lundquist in Funk, Nebraska. Randi had been a close friend since childhood. This led to 54 years of a beautiful relationship. They shared a strong faith, which was sorely needed, as their oldest daughter Linda battled A-Plastic Anemia. She died in 1961 at the age of 12.
After graduating from Augustana in 1948, Ray taught at Sudlow Junior High School in Davenport for several years and later earned his Master’s degree from the University of Iowa. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed assistant principal of Sudlow and remained in that position for 15 years. He later returned to the classroom where he taught math for the last 14 years and retired in 1984 after a 39-½ year career in education.
In addition to the church, Ray was a long-time member and past-president of the Bettendorf Lions Club.
Those left to honor his memory include his daughters, Cheryl (John) Cruise of Iowa City, Iowa and Laura Esping of Minneapolis, Minnesota; his grandchildren, Matt & Tim Furman, Jenny (Steve) Anderson and Nate Cruise; and his great-grandchildren, Jake, Zach & Olivia.
Ray’s beloved wife, Randi preceded Ray in death on August 27, 2001. His sisters, Gladys and Bernice, also preceded him in death.