John B. Raiford Jr.'s Obituary
John B. Raiford, Jr., 80, passed away October 22, 2023 at home with his loving wife by his side. He was born in Memphis on February 3, 1943 to the late John B. Raiford, Sr and Eleanor L. Raiford. He is survived by his devoted wife of 53 years, Ricka.
John graduated from Memphis State University where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. After meeting Ricka on a blind date, the two become inseparable. They married and moved to Nashville, where John pursued a successful career in safety engineering. After returning to Memphis in 1980 be closer to his aging parents, John accepted a position with EH Crump Insurance agency, where he pursued his career with the agency and its successors for many years. John was active in the risk management/safety community and served as the past president of the West Tennessee chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers.
Sunsets, water sports, fishing trips to the Keys, and volunteering in the community were his greatest sources of enjoyment. John served on the risk management committee for the FedEx/St Jude Golf Tournament for 29 years and the production committee for Memphis in May for12 years as well as other local organizations.
He will be remembered for his kind spirit, his courage in the face of a devastating illness, his strength and fortitude. The family wishes to acknowledge his caregivers for their love and dedication and thank those wonderful friends who stood by John and his wife throughout his fight with dementia.
Graveside Services will be held at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN. 38119, on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at 11:00 AM. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.
Donations in his memory can be made to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the charity of choice.
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