Happy birthday, Dad.

Dad would have been 65 today. The first day of Summer. The longest day of the year (sure felt long today!).

Tonight our family met together and reminisced. We miss him dearly but we also rejoiced in all he left with us. There was more laughter than I thought there would be. I'm glad we didn't sing Happy Birthday because I'm certain we would have made a scene and not made it through the song, especially not the four we usually sing.

We worked with Dad.
We learned from Dad.
We laughed with/at Dad (especially those corny jokes).
We served with Dad.
We dreamed with Dad.
We shared with Dad.
Did I mention we worked with Dad?

But most importantly...
We learned how to love from Mom and Dad.
What great examples they are.

You are missed, Dad. More than words can express.

My Wonderful Dad. By, Shelley Raynes

My Wonderful Dad,
he is our hero and a great man in our lives who loves us and wants us to be happy in what we do and he is so proud of all of us and he knows that we will take go care of mom .
we all do miss our father and our hero and friend .
By, Shelley Raynes

The Teacher

Never rich—well not in the ways of the world—he was rich with words. He could mold them and weave a story that would captivate and teach at the same time. You would walk away never knowing that you had learned a lesson you would use later in life.

I find myself often starting a story with, “Well, my Dad once told me…” A kind friend said I should write the stories down—so I do, and I will. This story is rather simple, but it’s a story of redemption; of love; of looking to Christ.

A young boy full of angst is sent out of the classroom for disruptive behavior. He lay on the floor outside the classroom counting the tiles on the ceiling and wishing he was somewhere else. Anywhere else. The class breaks for lunch and his classmates run all around him, but he still lies there, unmoved. Out of the corner of his eye he sees his teacher. He braces himself for another lecture but instead he is greeted with warm hands cupping his face and a heartfelt smile. She looks into his eyes and sees in them his true potential. She said one simple phrase that forever changed his life, “Joe, you are better than this.”

And he believed it.

He would become a teacher to thousands of would-be teachers. His love for children and their pure innocence would guide his discourses. They all shared the similar refrain. “Be kind to them, be gentle. For they need to know you see their true potential”.

He was always a teacher to his children. His lectures and stories would all have the same theme, “Look to Christ and live. He knows your true potential. He knows who you are and what you can become. You are better and more amazing than anything you can imagine. You are better than this”.

His children re-tell his stories because we believe it, too.

Joseph Raynes Funeral Information

Thank you everyone for your amazing outpouring of love and support. We have truly felt buoyed by all of your prayers and love.

Here is the information for Dad's funeral:
Public viewings will be held on Friday, January 14, 2011, at Walker Sanderson Funeral Home (646 E 800 N, Orem) from 6-8pm; and on Saturday, January 15, at the Orem Utah Cascade Stake Center (481 E Center St, Orem) from 11am-12:30pm.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 15, at the Orem Utah Cascade Stake Center (481 E Center St, Orem) starting at 1pm.

Interment will be at the Orem City Cemetery (1520 N 800 E) directly following the service.

Click here for the Deseret News obituary.
Click here for the Daily Herald obituary.

Beloved Husband, Father, Son, Brother.

Joseph Lincoln Raynes PhD, age 64, passed away peacefully January 10, 2010, surrounded by his eternal family, after a battle with brain cancer.

He was born June 21, 1946, in Provo, Utah to Beth Milner and Lincoln Frances Raynes; he was the second of eight children. Much of his childhood was spent on the Oregon Coast. While at BYU, Joe met his beautiful wife Alice Nielsen in a laundromat and it was love at first sight. Their first conversation began with his joke about both having red hair. They married in the Salt Lake Temple on May 27, 1969. They have ten children, all redheaded. It was impossible to be around Joe and not know he loved his family, the Gospel, and serving others.

Joseph completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees at BYU and earned his PhD at Texas A&M University. He served and inspired others throughout his lifelong career in Education. He was an Elementary School Teacher, Principal at Joaquin Elementary, Dean of Continuing Education, Dean of Trades and Technology, and Associate Academic Vice President at Utah Valley State College. He was instrumental in bringing the Education Program to the now Utah Valley University. He loved being a Professor of Education. His influence is carried through the countless teachers he molded.

Traveling the world extensively, Joe was always in search of opportunities to serve others. Fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish, he lived in Bolivia and traveled throughout South America with his young family while working with the Bolivian government. He lived in Colonia Juarez, Mexico working with the Juarez Stake Academy, and traveled to Mongolia to develop their higher education programs during their transition from Communism. He was a gifted storyteller who weaved his life experiences into tales that both entertained and edified.

He was a dedicated servant of the Lord, who served an honorable LDS mission in the Brazil North Mission. He labored as Branch President at the MTC, Bishop of Cascade 2nd Ward, High Council Member in Orem Cascade Stake, Ordinance Worker in the Mount Timpanogos Temple, and a member of the Curriculum Resource Committee. A gifted teacher of life and salvation, he lived to bring action to the Gospel’s precepts.

Joe was a builder of homes, ideas, and lives. A gentle giant, who was steadfast, thoughtful, humble, and strong; he spent his life in quiet service. His greatness was shown by his Christ-like love, the warmth of his smile, the power of his patience, the richness of his intelligence, his ability and desire to teach even the hardest of hearts, his comedic timing, and his gift to uplift others through his faith, stories, and unconditional love. His love of the Savior showed in everything he did.

He is survived by his loving wife of 41 years, Alice Nielsen Raynes, and their ten children: Janelle (Nathan) Gerber, Michelle, Denise (Paul) Pitcher, Alison (Marshall) Smith, Melanee, Stefanie (Nate) Farnsworth, Jonathan (Daniela), Danielle (Bryan) Kennedy, Derrick (Alexa), David (Sydney), and their 17 grandchildren. He is also survived by his father and five sisters.

We will post details for the viewing and the funeral soon.

Update

Hello family and friends.

Joe had an MRI last week and from the growth of the tumors (treatment didn't impact their growth, sadly), the doctors have given a guesstimate of a month or two left until the cancer takes him. He has begun home hospice care. His pain is acute and constant so we are doing our best to manage that pain with medication.

We are allowing visitors by appointment only. The visits are short and have the potential of being canceled at any time, based on how he is feeling. If you would like to visit, please contact Melanee Raynes at 801.369.2800.

We still ask that you do not ring the doorbell or drop in so we can manage things for his comfort.

Our hearts are touched by the outpouring of love, concern and support from all of you. Just as my dad was a great example to me of Christ's love, you all are exemplifying Christ's love in your actions, prayers and thoughts for us. We thank you.

Love to you all.

Rehab

Dad has been in rehab for almost two weeks now. He is still sleeping a lot and quite tired when not sleeping. We hope to bring him home this week but nothing is set in stone. We will not be able to accept visitors at the house when we bring him home.

We have received many kind cards and notes, thank you. Also, thank you for your prayers, we're sure they're helping him and my mom through this process.