Notes for: Ray Olaf Bodine
From Ronny Bodine:
Ray Bodine attended Euchee School (grades 1-3) and Harriman Elementary School (grades 4-6). Mary Brown taught the 3rd grade at Euchee School during the school year 1936-7, and noted Ray's birthdate as 16 March 1928. Harriman Elementary burned down 31 January 1945.
Ray served in the U.S. Navy from 16 March 1945 to 16 Jan 1948 when he was discharged with the rank of Seaman First Class (E-4). During this period he served on Guam (1946) and Saipan (1946-1948). On 12 Oct 1949 he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was discharged with the rank of Corporal (E-4) on 14 Jan 1953. He reenlisted again on 30 Sept 1953 and remained in the Army until his retirement as a Sergeant (E-5) on 31 Oct 1967. During his 17 years in the Army, he was stationed in West Germany nearly 11 years and completed his high school G.E.D. His awards included the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Area Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal with Berlin Airlift Device, National Defense Service Medal and several Good Conduct Medals. On 19 Feb 1968, he joined the Columbus (Georgia) Police Department and retired in Feb 1990. In April 2005 he was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphatic cancer which eventually contributed to his death. He was buried in Parkhill Cemetery, Columbus.
Bonnie (Ricketts) Bodine was the daughter of Will Ricketts (1890-) and his wife Emma. Bonnie's uncle, Edgar 'Ed' Ricketts (1895-1966), served as Chief of Police for Chattanooga, 1947-1955. Ray and Bonnie Bodine were divorced 12 Aug 1955 in Chattanooga. Bonnie was buried in Presbyterian Cemetery, Soddy-Daisy, Hamilton County.
Obituary, Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Ga.) of 4 Oct 2006.
Ray Olaf Bodine March 16, 1928 - October 3, 2006 COLUMBUS, GA— Ray Olaf Bodine, 78, of Columbus, died Tuesday, October 3, 2006 at his home. Graveside funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, October 6, 2006 at Parkhill Cemetery with Chaplain Gene Cook officiating. The family will receive friends Thursday from 6 to 8:00 p.m. at McMullen Funeral Home, 3874 Gentian Blvd., Columbus. Ray Olaf Bodine was born 16 March 1928 in Meigs County, TN, son of the late John Daniel and Nora Jane (Ray) Bodine. He enlisted in the United States Navy on 16 March 1945 in Chattanooga, TN. He was honorably discharged 16 Jan 1948. On 12 Oct 1949, he enlisted in the United States Army. Following his retirement he settled in Columbus, Georgia and there, in February 1968 joined the Columbus Police Department as a patrolman which duties he carried out until his retirement in February 1990. Ray was a lifelong bowler. In June 1987, while participating in the Georgia Police and Fire Olympics, Ray earned two gold medals in bowling for the Columbus Police Department. Ray was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Arthur, Harlie, Charlie, and Ralph Bodine, and sisters Gladys Nichols, Octavia Rucker, Esther Keller, and Pearl Wright. Survivors include his loving wife Sigrid, son and daughter-in-law, Ronny and Patricia Bodine, and grandson James Bodine, all of Columbus; sisters Annas Cates, of Dayton, TN, and Maxine Johnston, of Rising Fawn, GA; as well as many nephews and nieces and friends. Those who wish may sign the online guest registry at www.mcmullenfuneralhome.com.
Obituary, Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Free Press of 21 Oct 2006.
Bonnie Ricketts Bodine, 82, of Soddy-Daisy, died on Thursday evening, Oct. 19, 2006, in a local health care facility. She was a lifelong resident of Soddy-Daisy. She was the daughter of the late Will and Emma Reno Ricketts and was also preceded in death by several brothers and sisters. She is survived by her daughter, Penny Bodine Skelton Andrews and husband, Curtis, of Hixson; two nieces, Jo Penny, Chattanooga, Barbara Ford, Hixson; three nephews, Thomas Ricketts, Soddy-Daisy, William "Bill" Ricketts, Steele, Miss., Gregg Ricketts, Soddy-Daisy; several great-nieces and great-nephews. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at the Coulter Chapel of Lane Funeral Home with the Rev. Ted Painter officiating. Interment will be in Presbyterian Cemetery, Soddy-Daisy. The family will receive friends from 4-8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home and from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to National Health Care of Chattanooga, 2700 Parkwood Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37404. Please specify for Bonnie Bodine. Visit www.lane-coulterchapel.com to sign the guestbook or send condolences. Arrangements are by Lane Funeral Home, Coulter Chapel, 601 Ashland Terrace, 877-3524.
Obituary, Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Ga.) of 26 Nov 2012.
Columbus, GA- Sigrid Charlotte Bodine, 82, of Columbus, GA died Saturday, November 24, 2012 at VistaCare at Franciscan Woods. A private graveside service will be held at Parkhill Cemetery, according to McMullen Funeral Home, 3874 Gentian Blvd., Columbus, GA 31907. Mrs. Bodine was born May 23, 1930 in Berlin-Charlottenburg, Germany, daughter of the late Georg and Anna Frida Ducksch Rose. She lived through the 1945 destruction of Berlin and earned her trade certificate as a seamstress in 1948. She later married Ray Olaf Bodine who had come to take part in the Berlin-Airlift in Ulm, Germany. She came to the United States with her husband and her son in 1956. As a military wife, she followed her husband back to Germany three times until his retirement in 1966. They settled in Columbus where she worked as a seamstress and then for many years with Bibb Manufacturing Company. After 17 years as a bartender at the Fort Benning NCO Club, she retired in 1990. Other than her parents, Mrs. Bodine was preceded in death in 2006 by her husband, Ray Olaf Bodine and her sister, Giesela Franz in 2009. Surivors include her loving son, Ronny Bodine and his wife, Patricia Bodine of Columbus, GA; her grandson, James Bodine of Atlanta, GA and her beloved canine companions, Tessa and Toby. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to a charity of your choice. Those who wish may sign the online guest registry at www.mcmullenfuneralhome.com.