Raymond Edward Baune was born on March 26, 1933, in Waterbury Township near Wabasso, Minn., to Aloysius (Alle) and Mary (Fischer) Baune.  He was baptized, confirmed, and attended school at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Wabasso, Minn.  

As a rural boy, Ray helped on the family farm, plowing fields with a team of horses. His Grandfather Henry taught Ray both how to play cards and how to be a first-rate grandpa who spoils grandkids with the gifts of time and attention. Ray became a self-proclaimed electrician at the age of 15, wiring the family home and barn for electricity.  In 1952, Ray enlisted in the United States Air Force.  During the Korean War, he was stationed at Kimpo Airfield, where his duties included serving as a cook.  Following his days in the military, Ray worked for International Harvester Company in St. Paul, Minn., Commercial Air in Minneapolis, Minn., and at times, he was also a taxi cab driver, a Fuller Brush salesman, and an Osseo, MN school bus driver.

On April 12, 1958, Ray was united in marriage to Carol Hixson in Northwood, Iowa.  Ray and Carol lived in Columbia Heights until 1964, then moved to Osseo, and finally purchased a farm near Milaca, Minn., in 1968.  Together they raised five sons: Daniel, Curtis, Scott, Roger, and Charly. They established and ran Baune’s Minnesota Farmstead Cheese from 1976 to 1991, sometimes making 1,000 pounds of cheese per week.

In 1991, the farm was sold, and Ray moved to Brooklyn Park, Minn., and from there, to Arizona.  On October 10, 1994, he was united in marriage to Gloria Kautz.  In 2011, Ray and Gloria moved from Arizona to Wadena. Here, Ray invested time visiting, being active in the VFW, researching Baune genealogy, working out at the Maslowski Wellness Center, and making jump ropes (almost 22,000 ropes), while always dreaming of the next project or job to tackle.  Ray, much like his own Grandfather Henry, became his grandkids’ biggest fan, an expert at spoiling them with time and attention.

On Friday, July 30, 2021, Raymond Edward Baune left this life behind for his eternal home in heaven. A Memorial Service was held at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 13, 2021, at Trinity Lutheran Church in New York Mills, with visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m.  Interment was at 1 p.m. on Friday, August 13, 2021, at Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery, Little Falls, Minn. 

Ray is survived by his wife, Gloria; children, Curtis (Aldyth) of Bunbury, Australia; Scott (Cheryl Visser) of Ogilvie, Minn.; Roger (Kelly) of Waddell, Ariz.; Charly (Tara) of New York Mills; and step-children, Kelly Kautz of Pillager, Minn. and Joelle (Al) Schmidt of Baxter, Minn.; 11 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; a brother, John (Carolyn) of Rice, Minn., and sister-in-law, Margie Baune of Wabasso, Minn.  

Ray is preceded in death by his parents, Alle and Mary Baune; siblings: Irene Anderson, Donna Frank, Dorothy Lipinski, Darrel Baune, and Mark Baune; son: Daniel Baune; grandson: Jason Baune.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Wadena VFW Post 3922 where Ray was an active member, or to the Wadena County Humane Society from where Ray adopted many pets.