SCHALTENBRAND, Jr., Raymond "Ray"
Raymond "Ray" John Schaltenbrand, Jr., 80, of Marietta, GA, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Son of Raymond and Ginger Schaltenbrand, Ray was born on April 14, 1943, in Pennsylvania. His family moved to Florida when he was young, and Ray attended Miami Jackson High School, where he was a major contributor on their swim team. Following high school, he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy West Point in New York, where he continued to swim. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and completed both Ranger and Airborne Training. It was during this time that Ray and his wife, Eleanor, eloped in November of 1965 to the surprise of both families. Ray was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, the Big Red One, and served two tours: his first in Vietnam from 1966-1967 and his second in Indochina from 1971-1972. In between tours, Ray obtained his MBA at the University of Georgia.
After his active service, he began his career in commercial real estate with Northwestern Mutual and Laing Properties, where he oversaw the development of many commercial shopping centers and mixed-use office developments. In the 1980's, he started TMB, his investment real estate business, where he would buy, sell, and rent homes which he continued to operate throughout his life. He always loved a good real estate investment deal!
Ray was an active member of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church and loved going on mission trips with his wife, Eleanor, to Africa, Australia, Bulgaria, China, Israel, Nicaragua, and many more. He enjoyed UGA football, American war history, investing and following the stock market, and going to garage sales and estate sales, where Ray tried to find ball caps and button-up plaid shirts that still had dry-cleaning tags on them. If someone had a need, he always did whatever he could to help. Spending time with his children and nine grandchildren hiking and camping, traveling, coaching, and watching their many different sports and activities brought him great joy and many happy memories.
Ray is survived by his wife, the love of his life, Eleanor Schaltenbrand; and their children, Theresa Schaltenbrand Spivey (Brian), Matthew Schaltenbrand (Mandy), and Brian Schaltenbrand. He is also survived by his wonderful grandchildren, Brayden, James, Ryder, Blake, Sawyer, Jack, Mason, Hank, and Sam; his sidekick and favorite dog, Bandit; a brother, Lee Schaltenbrand; and sister, Janet Rose; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Wayne, who was killed in Vietnam.
Ray's life verse was Proverbs 3:5-6.
A Funeral Service to honor Mr. Ray Schaltenbrand will be held on Friday, March 22, 2024, at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Marietta, Georgia at 11:00 AM. Friends will be received for visitation one hour prior to the service. He will be laid to rest immediately following the service at Georgia National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to any of his favorite charities: Alzheimer's Association, CRU.org, Messiah for Israel, Must Ministries, Paraclete Mission Group or Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
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