Raymond E. Baber was born 5 Oct 1900, the son of Marion Grant Baber and Sarah “Sadie” (Rader) Baber of Macy. In 1910, he lived just seven houses down the road from future fellow veteran Clarence Bandau on Third Street in Peru. He enlisted in the US Army 12 Jun 1918 and was sent overseas as part of Replacement Unit 16 in Sept 1918 to join the American Expeditionary Forces in France. He was discharged 25 Jul 1919 as a Private First Class. Upon his return, Raymond held various jobs including driving for a local factory and hawking candy for the circus. In the 1940s, he and wife Mary owned a restaurant. The couple would later move to the Chicago area. Raymond was active in The Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses, more commonly known as The Forty and Eight, as well as the Glen Owens Post 14 of the American Legion. He died 22 Mar 1972 in Manatee County, Florida, and was buried in Mansion Memorial Park, Ellenton, Florida, where he has a military marker in place.

Courtesy Jennifer Sparks