Obituary for Jesse Raines
Jesse (Jess) Raines
Jesse (Jess) Raines, 92, of Cuyahoga Falls, passed away peacefully June 2, 2017 following an extended illness.
Born May 19, 1925, he was the son of John Sherman and Violet (Acuff) Raines and brother of Bobby Raines. He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, JoEllen (Weaver) Raines. He is survived by his daughter, Kim (Mark) Colton and son, Randy (Ellen) Raines. He is and will always be loving Papa to grandchildren, Mitchell Colton of Columbus, Ohio, and Jack and Sam Raines of Green, Ohio. He will be missed by his dear friend and Spicer Town buddy Ray; Pat Egger; and Drs. Pat and Dustin Blakeslee and daughter Caitlin.
Jess graduated from Central High School where he was a standout in football, basketball and baseball. It was at Central where he met his beloved wife JoEllen.
Jess served in World War II as a member of the 249th, Combat Engineers 2nd Platoon Company A 3rd Army in Europe from 1944 to 1946.
Jess was an avid baseball player and at age 15, became one of the youngest players to play for the Akron Orphans. He signed with the Chicago Cubs organization and played with their affiliate in the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League. In 1993 he was inducted into the Summit County Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jess retired from the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company after 36 years of service where he worked at the R&D plant on Archwood Ave.
The family would like to thank Dr. Richard May for his many years of compassionate care, and to the staff of The Gardens of Western Reserve for making Jess feel at home this past year.
Cremation has already taken place and a private graveside ceremony will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame or the hospice staff at The Gardens of Western Reserve in Cuyahoga Falls.
Published in Akron Beacon Journal from June 6 to June 7, 2017