Raymond Waldo Mussen, Jr.

Raymond W. Mussen Jr. passed away Wednesday August 21, 2018 in hospice at Masonicare in Wallingford, CT. Born April 29, 1925 in Charlotte, NC, Ray was raised in Massachusetts. He graduated from Lowell High School and served in the Navy during WWII working on aircraft transportation. Ray then came to CT to work in the engineering department at Pratt & Whitney. Ray worked on projects during his career like the JT-9D engine which powered the Boeing 747. He met his wife, Peggy, at work and the two were married one week after V-J Day on August 21, 1945. They were married for over 70 years. Ray was a loving, devoted, and hard-working husband and father. He mentored many generations of youth and served as an adult leader and trainer in the Boy Scouts of America. He was awarded the Silver Beaver Medal for distinguished service. To replace the old Quonset hut, he was instrumental in the design, and construction of a new scout building for Troop 26 in Cromwell, where the activity room is named after him and his wife.

Ray loved woodworking and tinkering. He built a tractor in the basement from old parts to plow the hard clay for his wife to make a vegetable garden. He disassembled a neglected hickory post and beam barn and rebuilt it at the family home in Cromwell. He also built a sailboat in that barn to teach his family the joys of sailing as he had experienced during the carefree summers of his youth in Rockport, MA.

Ray was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and was conferred the York Rite and the Scottish Rite 32nd Degree.

He was predeceased by his parents, Raymond W. Mussen and Hazel B. (Cameron) Mussen and by his sister, Barbara E. (Mussen) Brewer.

Ray is survived by his two daughters, Christene Gaffney & her husband Fran of Cromwell, and Rose Delorm of Granville, VT, and his two sons, Daniel, and his wife Kathleen Lynch of Colchester, and Clifford, and his wife Debbie Cadotte of Fredericksburg, VA., his grandchildren Sheila Paxton, Debbie Vare, Wendy Montgomery, Sara Mussen, Kate Werme, Dylan Henderson, Cerise Chamberlain, & Curtis Mussen, and by 11 great-grandchildren, and four great-great grandchildren. He is also survived by his "adopted" children, Pedro Lobo of Portugal, Steve Chapin of New Britain, CT, Ryk Nelson of Lebanon, CT, Gerry Seagrave of Middletown, CT, Mark Rose of Daytona, FL, and John Shaw of Manassas, VA.

A memorial service will take place on Saturday, September 29, at 10:00 am at the Third Congregational Church, 94 Miner Street, Middletown. Interment will follow at Rose Hill Memorial Park in Rocky Hill. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:

Masonic Charity Foundation of CT, P.O. Box 70, Wallingford, CT 06492 or American Lung Association 55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150, Chicago, IL 60601. Visit www.doolittlefuneralservice.com to share memories or send condolences to the family.

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