Raymond Lee Kilgo

Raymond Kilgo passed away on August 8, 2022 in Waco, Texas with his wife Margaret by his side.  He celebrated his 87^th birthday on July 28, 2022. Raymond wanted to go to Heaven to be with Jesus Christ. His wish was to come full circle, born 2 months early in Waco in 1935 and to die in Waco in 2022.

Memorial Service: Lakeway Church Chapel, 2203 Lakeway Boulevard; Lakeway, TX. at 11:00am Saturday, October 8, 2022; Senior Pastor, Larry Coulter presiding.

He was the retired Campus Principal of North Shore Middle School in the Galena Park ISD, a school he had served as a teacher, coach, and administrator since 1963.  He was the principal for 25 years with a majority of the teachers serving over 20 years.  When he retired the students were the grandchildren of the original students from the 1960s. In 1998 Raymond was honored with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Texas Middle School Association Participating in the planning and construction of a new building for North Shore Middle School was a special time for Raymond.  His dear friend Edward Gant was the architect for the new building.

Raymond had many wonderful friends in North Shore including Joe and Barbara Jones with Joe and Raymond coaching their sons in youth baseball.  For 30 years Raymond and Margaret had monthly dinner and bridge with the North Shore Heaven Group of the Cooks, Luckys, Royals, Sandells, and Wards, friends for life.

Raymond leaves a memorable legacy of unselfishness, leadership in education, volunteer coach of youth in baseball and basketball for years, and sacrifices for his family so his children could have college educations and did everything possible to support their goals and dreams including driving 20 year old truck for 10 years.

He was the first person in his family to receive a college education despite his childhood experiences of being homeless in Waco, Texas from ages 7 to 14.  At age 8 Raymond was selling newspapers at the Railroad Station in Waco and at age 12 he was playing the records of music piped to the 11-7 shift at factories at the top of the Amicable Life Insurance Building all night by himself.

During his 7 homeless years, his father always made sure Raymond had something to eat and somewhere to sleep, at the Salvation Army or at the home of one of his classmates.  His favorite place was the Boys and Girls Club. His love of baseball at Katy Park and Baylor University resulted in Raymond serving as the Bat Boy for the Baylor University Baseball Team in 1948-1949.

Raymond Kilgo always seemed to have an Angel by his side watching over him, having been born 2 months early in 1935 and homeless for 7 years.

In August 1949, everything changed for Raymond.  He caught a city bus from South Waco to Bellmead  to attend a 13^th birthday party for a young lady friend. In the first 10 minutes he met Margaret Ann Lang.  Raymond and Margaret seemed to bond almost immediately so Raymond walked Margaret home that evening.

Raymond missed the city bus back to South Waco.  He knocked on the door of a home just 1 block from Margaret’s home, a home where Raymond’s mother and older brother and sister lived.  Raymond’ mother had returned from Seattle, Washington. Raymond’s siblings had lived with their mother’s sister during her absent. When Raymond’s mother returned to Waco, she would not allow Raymond to live with her because he had stayed with his father and was too close to his dad.

When Raymond knocked on his mother’s door, his mother would not let him in. His brother and sister said to their mother, “If you won’t let out kid brother live with us, we are leaving.” His mother let him in her home. That night he began living with his mother, brother, and sister and enrolled in LaVega High School.

This was the night in August 1949 that the Angels were there and God surrounded Raymond with love.  This is a story that Raymond wanted in his obituary as an inspiration to others and to see the miracles of our Lord.  This one night, Raymond met his future wife and moved in his mother’s home and was no longer homeless. This one night Raymond talked about for the rest of his life and was a reason he loved Jesus Christ and was a deep Christian.  At the time of his death Raymond was a member of  the Lakeway Church.  He had been a member of Holy Trinity Methodist Church and First Presbyterian Church in North Shore.

Raymond and Margaret Lang were married on December 17, 1955 at the First Presbyterian Church in Waco.  Margaret had a Baylor flute music scholarship and was in the Orchestra, Golden Wave Band, Golden Girl Majorette. She loved Raymond more than she loved music, the flute and baton.   She gave up Baylor and worked at Owens-Illinois Glass Factory to support Raymond’s Baylor education.

In December 1959 their first child, daughter Leigh Ann, was born just months after Raymond’s May 1959 Baylor graduation.

In 1960 Raymond returned to his alma mater LaVega High School as a teacher and coach for 2 years.  In August 1962, former LaVega Coach Paul Smith was instrumental in getting Raymond a teaching and coaching position in the Galena Park ISD at North Shore Junior High, a school he would spend the next 37 years.

Raymond and Margaret had many wonderful golden, lifetime friends in North Shore including Joe and Barbara Jones with Raymond and Joe coaching their sons in baseball and the North Shore Heaven Group of the Cooks, Luckys, Royals, Sandells, and Wards with monthly dinner and bridge for 30 years.

It seemed that there was something about college educations and having babies. In August 1966 Raymond Lee “Rusty” Kilgo , Jr. was born 2 months after Margaret at age 30 graduated in June 1966 from the University of Houston.

Sports and God had sustained Raymond those 7 years he was homeless as a child so while he did not wear his religious beliefs on his sleeve, he prayed daily and was grateful for his experiences with sports.  Rusty was an award winning relief pitcher for Arizona State University and Minor Leagues.

When Raymond retired in January 1999, Raymond and Margaret moved to Lakeway. Raymond loved playing golf with dear friend Gilbert Boyd.  He brought Raymond so much joy with his perspective of life. Raymond missed him terribly when Gilbert and Raymond could no longer play golf and Gilbert passed.

A priority for Raymond and Margaret was their children and grandchildren earning college degrees. Their daughter Leigh graduated from Baylor University and son Rusty graduated from Arizona State University.   They established college funds for their 6 grandchildren.

Raymond loved playing golf; eating chicken fried steak; driving vintage cars, dancing; his boxer dogs Muggs, George, Julius, and Duke; cruises, vacations in Bahamas with his children and grandchildren and playing golf in Palm Desert, California in the last years of his life. These were experiences he would never have dreamed possible when he was young.

Raymond would not have had an opportunity to enjoy his retirement years without the skills and compassion of his highly esteemed and beloved heart doctor Dr. Frank Zidar of Austin Heart who kept Raymond alive for 15 years.

Raymond is survived by his wife Margaret of 66 years, his daughter and son-in-law Leigh and Randy Weisinger; and his son and daughter-in-law Rusty and Elizabeth Kilgo. Known as Papa by his grandchildren and great grandchildren he leaves behind to cherish his memory Ashley and Taylor with Sawyer (4) and Duke (2) Leatham and Kelsey and Todd with Harper (3) and Greer (1) Glaesmann; Morgan Elizabeth Kilgo and fiancé Andrew Interto, Kyle Raymond Kilgo, Jackson Robert Kilgo, and Reid Carlton Kilgo and beloved nephews and nieces.

Raymond was preceded in death by his parents Bert A Kilgo and Edna Kilgo Vaughn; mother and father-in-law Reta and Morris Lang; Great Grandchildren George Graham Leatham and Lynley Ray Glaesmann; sister and brother Edna Ruth Kilgo Erskine and Walter Carlton Kilgo; brother-in-law Morris Lang, Jr; daughter born too early in 1967; 2 nieces Sherry Kelly and Lisa Erskine.

If you want to honor Raymond Kilgo in his memory, coach a Little League baseball team, attend a youth baseball game, volunteer to coach a youth basketball team, walk the halls of your community’s middle school and engage in conversations with students and support and honor middle school teachers.

The family recommends donations in Raymond’s memory be given to the Raymond L. Kilgo and Margaret L. Kilgo Scholarship for College of Education students at Baylor University, a Boys and Girls Club, or a Homeless Program or Homeless Shelter in honor of Raymond Kilgo.