Raymond L. Gehling Jr.

Gehling, Raymond L., Jr. of Weymouth, formerly of Sandwich, passed away surrounded by his loving family on May 5, 2023. He was 93.

Born in 1929 to the late Raymond L. and Anna T. (Beecher) Gehling.

A graduate of Needham High School, Ray served as a Radio Operator in the U.S. Air Force, receiving the Korean Service Medal as a member of the 514^th “Typhoon Chasers,” honorably discharged as a Sergeant after four years of service in the Pacific.

He and Betty married and Ray earned his BS and MS (Wildlife Management) at UMass Amherst. He later completed an MA (School Administration) at Framingham State College. Ray taught various science classes at Littleton High School for several years where he began creating and implementing an outdoor classroom curriculum which he was able to further develop and share throughout the state after he was asked to join the Massachusetts Department of Education as its first Supervisor of Conservation Education. Always an outdoorsman, he loved sharing his skills and knowledge with other educators, students, and his own family. 

Ray was an athlete who excelled at baseball, table tennis, horseshoes and golf. He was an avid reader and kept librarians busy fulfilling his wish lists as he completed several books a week; he admitted to marking in those books – a tiny checkmark inside the back cover indicating to himself that he’d already read it! His favorite outdoor activity was fishing from his canoe in the evening and not making a catch didn’t seem to matter. He enjoyed the peace on the water.

Loving husband of 71 years to Elizabeth “Betty” A. Gehling (Steinka) of Weymouth. Cherished father of Lynne Johnson and her husband Keith of Quincy and Wendy Csaplar and her husband Robert of North Carolina. Predeceased by his two younger brothers and survived by his younger sister Janet Muldoon of Needham. Adored “Puppie” to grandchildren Madeline Johnson Paz and husband Dylan Howard, Elizabeth Csaplar Soto and husband Luis Soto, and Jonathan Csaplar and wife Julie Csaplar; and seven great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Brenda (Steinka) Phelps and brother-in-law Frederick Steinka and was the beloved “Uncle Ray” to many nieces and nephews.

No services are scheduled. Burial will be private. Donations in Ray’s name may be made to Friends of the Abington Public Library, 600 Gliniewicz Way, Abington, MA 02351 or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org/donate).