Norman Raman

Norman Raman son, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and geologist extraordinaire, passed away on August 24, 2009. He was born into a farming family on May 14, 1918 in Springfield, Ill . He was raised by his mother Blanche Raman and her family to be the loving character that we all knew. He graduated from University High, Urbana, Illinois in 1936 and graduated from Oklahoma University in 1941 with a degree in Geology. He first worked for the USGS where he helped discover tungsten deposits that took tungsten off the critical list during World War II. After service in the army, he was employed by Texaco as a geologist in 1946 in the Farmington NM area, where he met the love of his life and wife to be, Carolyn Kinnaird. They were married in November of 1947. He had a long and successful career with Texaco first in Farmington, then Ft. Worth, TX., Abilene, TX., Albuquerque, NM and finally Midland, TX., where he worked until his retirement in 1977. After retiring, Norman continued his geological work successfully for two other companies in Midland. His wife, Carolyn, died in 1989 and Norman married Dorris Stillwagon in 1991. He moved to Houston in 2005 and then in the fall of 2008 to the ranch of his daughter Cynthia and her husband Steve Montgomery southwest of Brenham, which became "home". Until his death, he was still looking for oil. Norman had an enthusiasm for life and a love of family that spread to everyone he met. His sense of humor always filled the room with laughter. He had a passion for nature and photography, and leaves his family and friends with wonderful memories and many, many cherished photographs. He played tennis until he was 75, and thoroughly enjoyed "aceing" his son Bill. For his 75th birthday, he went whitewater rafting with Bill and good friend Tom Bruner at the helm. Life was truly an adventure for him, and he looked at it with wonder. He was preceded in death by his wife, Carolyn, in 1989. Norman is survived by his daughter Cynthia and husband Steve Montgomery, along with Steve''s sister Ann Montgomery; his son Bill and wife Linda Raman; his granddaughters Jennifer Raman and Jessica Sparks; grandsons Todd Montgomery and wife Ashley and great-granddaughter Alexis; Terry Montgomery and great-granddaughters Mayson, Montana and Mykal; cousins Dave and Cindy Raman and family; the family of Jane Raman and Billy May; along with many other distant yet dear family members Schlichts, Moores, Ottens and others. He is also survived by his second wife, Dorris Stillwagon. Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 29, 2009 in Midland, Texas at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. The Rev. Josie Rose will officiate. The hearts of the people he touched will forever be filled with laughter and light. He will always be remembered. Thank you for all your hugs! Hugs are not only nice, they''re needed. Hugs can relieve pain and depression. They can make the healthy healthier, the happy happier, And the most secure among us even more so. Hugging feels good! Overcomes fears, eases tension, provides stretching exercise if you''re short, And stooping exercise if you''re tall. Hugging does not upset the environment, saves heat, and requires no special equipment. It makes happy days happier and impossible days possible. Memorials may be directed to a favorite charity. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main, Brenham. To view the obituary online or to post a tribute to the family, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.