Raymond T. Batty Sr.

Raymond T. Batty, Sr. passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, at his daughter’s home on August 2, 2026. He was born May 2, 1936, in Murphysboro, Illinois, to William and Lucy (VanCloostere) Batty. He married Alice Darleen Hanson on June 7, 1957, in Greenville, South Carolina. Their children are Cheryl Ryan (Steve Carver), Raymond T. “Duck” Batty, Jr. (June), Tina (Denny) Parrott, Greg (Anne) Batty, and Susan (Larry) Batty-Gunn. He was the proud grandfather of 18 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren.

Raymond graduated from Murphysboro High School, where he is a Hall of Fame inductee. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University and a master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

He was a proud veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served in Okinawa and Formosa. During the Korean War, he served for more than three years as a Radio Relay Equipment Repairman. His military honors included the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. After his service, he worked for U.S. Industrial Chemicals in Tuscola, Illinois, and New York, retiring after 29 years of service.

After retirement, Raymond remained active, spending many hours volunteering and traveling across the country to visit friends and family. In 2013, he was honored by the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs for decades of volunteer work at the John A. Logan Museum. He continued volunteering there until recently, contributing more than 35 years of service to the museum.

Sports were one of his many passions. He spent years as a coach, referee, umpire, and fan. His greatest loyalty was to the St. Louis Cardinals, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He also enjoyed watching his family members and their children participate in sports over the years.

He also enjoyed square dancing and ballroom dancing. While ballroom dancing at the Regency, he met his longtime partner, Verna Hasty. Through that relationship, he gained three bonus children, Val, Angie, and Dusty, and six grandkids.

He was primarily affiliated with St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Arcola and St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Murphysboro, Illinois.

He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, two sisters, his wife Alice, his partner Verna, his eldest son Duck, and one grandson, Scott.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Friday, August 14, 2026 at the Edwards Funeral Home, 221 East Main St., Arcola, IL.  Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, August 15, 2026 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.  Father Michael will officiate.  Burial will follow in the St. Andrew's Catholic Church Cemetery in Murphysboro, IL.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like to honor Raymond’s lifelong dedication to service by requesting donations to one of the following:

- Saint Andrew School, 723 Mulberry St., Murphysboro, IL 62966.

- John A. Logan Museum, 1613 Edith St., Murphysboro, IL 62966.

- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.