Raymond B. Allmond

January 9, 1946 - March 2, 2021 "A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered." On March 2, 2021, Raymond Bernard Allmond was called home to his heavenly father. Ray, the second of six children to the late Marie Williams and David Allmond, was born in Turner Station, Maryland and grew up in Baltimore. A lifelong athlete, Ray played high school lacrosse, wrestling, and football at Edmondson High School. His senior year he was selected to play on the 1964 All Maryland Scholastic Association Football Team and won the "Unsung Hero Award" for outstanding athleticism. He went on to play football for the repeat CIAA Champion Team (1965-68) at Morgan State University. Understanding the importance of sports in his own development, he later coached youth football as an adult. Ray earned a Bachelor's degree in mathematics from Morgan, where he joined the Iota Phi Theta fraternity. Recruited by his close friends, the fraternity's founders, he was a member of the second line of Iota Phi Theta, the "Trifling 28" and helped establish its success and longevity in its early years. He was very pleased to be featured with his frat brothers in the Smithsonian's African American History Museum for their role in establishing the ninth fraternity in the "Divine Nine." Following college, Ray worked for IBM in Poughkeepsie, NY before being drafted to serve as an Army Specialist in 1970-1972. He then returned to Maryland and his civilian job at IBM as a programmer and later as a systems engineer. In his first marriage to Marilyn Frazier, Ray became the devoted father to two daughters, Jessica and Sara. Ray married his second wife, Cheryl Diallo, in 1993 and was honored to have daughter Kesso and son Soule call him Dad, a role he wholeheartedly took on. He was also an attentive and beloved son-in-law to Cheryl's parents. In his free time, Ray enjoyed building computers, and Cheryl patiently tolerated his eternally messy office littered with spare computer parts. While at IBM, Ray and three other friends started the "Wednesday Morning Golf" (WMG), a golf group. The group grew to over 30 men, and he looked forward to yearly trips and tournaments with his "golf buddies." Ray remained physically active his whole life. He was a talented bowler, having bowled multiple 300 games, and enjoyed competing in tournaments with his crew. When he and Cheryl moved to Woodmore South, he relished walks with his neighbors as well as their regular gym visits followed by meals at the Golden Corral. Ray loved his family. The oldest but shortest of the Allmond brothers, he loved family gatherings where he could smack talk with his sisters and brothers over a hand of spades. He was an "always there for you" son, brother, husband, dad, uncle, cousin, brother- and father-in-law, never turning down any request or opportunity to support a family member. And he was a doting grandfather to Tommy David and James Raymond. Spending time with them gave him immeasurable happiness. Ray also loved his friends, and the camaraderie and fellowship they shared brought him much laughter and joy. Raymond Bernard Allmond: aka: "Bunny" (close family), aka: "Cheese" (Iota Line Name), aka: "Priest" (lacrosse and Poughkeepsie card crew), aka: "Boom Boom" (golf buddies), aka: one of "The Three Amigos" (walking buddies) Ray is survived by his wife, Cheryl; his four children, Jessica, Sara (Chris), Kesso (Baye) and Soule; two grandchildren, Tommy and James; his siblings, Catherine (Winston), Michael (Carolane), Warren, Wanda, and Wayne (Rhonda) and a host of dearly loved extended family and friends.