Raylene Louise Kimball

About Raylene

On Sunday, April 30, 2023, Raylene Kimball passed on to the next life. She was my wife, best friend, confidant, travel partner and the light of my life. We, who knew and loved her, miss her greatly.

Raylene was born January 6, 1949 to Raymond & Louise Bright in Walker, Minnesota. She spent her school years attending Walker Public Schools, graduating in 1967. After attending Moorhead State University for one year, she transferred to the University of Minnesota. She graduated with honors in 1971 with a degree in social work.

In the summer of 1971, she agreed to be my wife. We married on Saturday, October 2nd. Much to the chagrin of most of the males in our two families, it was the opening day of duck season. No ducks were flying that day so it was no big loss. At that time we lived in an apartment next to what is now Pizza Hut in Park Rapids.

I taught at Pine Point Experimental School & she worked for Skoe Drug in downtown Park Rapids until we moved to the Walker area at the end of the school year. We lived in several locations in and around the Walker area. In 1972, Raylene was hired by Cass County Social Services as a Mental Health Social Worker, a position for which she was uniquely qualified. Her persona deemed that everyone deserved a chance and she treated all with respect and dignity. She worked for Cass County until our son Sean Michael was born on April 12, 1978.

Wanting to be a stay at home Mom, she did not return to work until she was hired by Heartland Homes in 1981 as a residential aide. In 1983, Raylene became the Executive Director, a position she held until her retirement on November 2, 2007. She, along with her staff built Heartland Homes into what it is today, a model for what residential facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities.

In 1973, we fell in love with cross-country skiing. Raylene was particularly adept at this sport and became one of the finest female skiers in the upper Midwest. This sport became our passion and we directed our lifestyle toward becoming better skiers. We trained year-round and during the winter trained every day, sometimes in the dark with headlamps and we skied races every weekend, sometimes two.

Raylene, as part of our training, began running 10K races and Grandma’s Marathon. She completed three of those marathons and after an injury, speed walked two of the half-marathons. The injury she sustained in a ski race did not allow her to run so she began walking, sometimes up to 25,000 steps per day, every day, rain/snow and cold.

While we had traveled, in 2005 my Aunt took she & my Mom, Raylene & I and four of my cousins to Scotland for 14 days. It was a magnificent trip and really piqued our interest in seeing other parts of the world. Besides the first Scotland trip, our favorite trips were a 14-day cruise in the eastern Mediterranean, beginning in Venice and ending Rome and the month spent traveling from London to Budapest, with stops in Paris, Lausanne, Zermatt, Chur, Munich, Salzburg & Vienna and then 14 days into the Baltic. However, one of favorite places to visit was the North Shore of Lake Superior, which we visited 14 or 15 times to be next to that healing body of water & hiking the Superior Hiking Trail.

One of the things that gave Raylene comfort was our gardens. She took great joy in walking through the flowers, especially when she began dealing with a myriad of health issues about ten years ago.

Raylene is survived by her husband of nearly 52 years, Dick, our son, Sean Michael, brother Richard Bright [Danielle], brother Murray Bright [Julie], many cousins & nieces & nephews. She has been blessed to have many, many friends throughout her life, especially Rita Bovee, Lettie Blackburn and Betty Haukebo.

memorial service

Celebration of Raylene's Life

May 20, 2023

Cease Family Funeral Home 710 1st St W, Park Rapids, MN 56470, USA

The event will be from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. A celebration of the life of Raylene will happen in mid-summer when our flowers are in bloom.

Funeral/Cremation Provider: Cease Family Funeral Home