Raymond "Ray" Robert Shrader

Shrader, Raymond "Ray" R., age 92 of Knoxville, ended his stay on Earth, Tuesday morning, October 16, 2012 at his home. Ray was born July 21, 1920 to the late John and Susan Shrader in Freeland, PA. Ray frequently said that three things had a profound impact on his life: the Great Depression, World War II and the G.I. Bill. Upon his graduation from high school, Ray joined the United States Army Air Corps prior to the U.S. involvement in the war to look for opportunities not available in the small coal mining community in Pennsylvania trying to recover from the Great Depression. In 1941, while participating in the Louisiana Maneuvers, he was invited to dinner at the home of A.J. and Edith Ensminger in nearby Wisner, LA, where he met the love of his life and future wife, Elizabeth Ensminger. Their story and romance are worthy of a novel. After Pearl Harbor, Ray was sent to the South Pacific where he served in the Fifth Air Corp, 80th Fighter Squadron, the "Head Hunters" in Australia and New Guinea. Although assigned as a ground based radio operator, Ray would volunteer for bomber missions with adjacent bomber groups because they were having trouble maintaining adequate crews for bombing missions. He decided early on that surviving the war was mostly out of his hands and instead, turned the war into a personal adventure. His stories rivaled those in Catch 22 and M*A*S*H. Ray was one of the first veterans' from Knoxville to fly to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. on a Freedom Flight. Following the war, Ray saw the G.I. Bill as an opportunity to further his education and prospects. Knowing Elizabeth was enrolled at LSU, Ray chose LSU for his undergraduate work so that he could be close to his Southern Belle once more. They married soon thereafter. With his undergraduate degree from LSU, Ray enrolled in the graduate program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he received his Ph.D. in Psychology in 1953. He spent the next several decades as a professor at UT where he taught thousands of students from around the world. He ultimately served as the head of the Psychology Department at UT. At the same time he also served as department head and professor at Knoxville College, was lecturer at local RN schools in Knoxville, and provided consulting services to a wide range of entities. He continued teaching psychology correspondence courses for UT until several years ago. Dr. Shrader also sought ways to serve his community. Principle among these efforts was his involvement in Children's International Summer Villages (CISV). He was the founder of the Knoxville chapter and was the local president, national president and international president of the organization. Partly as a result of this work and partly to satisfy their wanderlust, Ray and Elizabeth traveled extensively around the world. His children thought he was a spy, but he denied it. Ray's experiences in the Great Depression taught him to be frugal and to live off of the land as much as he could. He was an avid hunter and fisherman for most of his life. The second World War taught him a sense of adventure and introduced him to his wife. The G.I.Bill made him a scholar and gave him a career which he always said was "better than working". Dr. Shrader had a profound impact on his friends and family and will be greatly missed. Ray was a longtime member of Sacred Heart Cathedral Catholic Church. He was preceded in death by his parents, six sisters and one brother. Ray is survived by his loving wife of 67 years, Elizabeth; daughters, Kathy Huie (Bob) of Wilmington, NC and Suzanne Tigert of Knoxville; son, Will (Donna Thorne) of Columbia, SC; grandchildren Rob Huie, Heather Larsen, Scott Huie, Justin Moore, Betsy Watts and Matt Shrader; great-grandchildren, Carley and Maggie Larsen and Mason Huie; numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial Mass will be held 12:00 PM Monday at Sacred Heart Cathedral with Monsignor T. Allen Humbrecht officiating. The family will receive friends following the service at the family home. The family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to Smokey Mountain CISV, P.O. Box 1126T, Knoxville, TN 37937. Online condolences may be sent to www.rosemortuary.com. Arrangements provided by Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel.

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Raymond "Ray" Robert Shrader

July 21, 1920 - October 16, 2012