Macpherson "Moke" Raymond

September 21, 1941 – January 9, 2024

Macpherson “Moke” Raymond, Jr., 82, died in Denver, Colorado on January 9, 2024 of natural causes.

Moke was born on September 21, 1941 to Ramsay Lance Raymond and Macpherson Raymond in East Orange, NJ. He grew up on Dalhousie Farm, in Princeton, NJ, the oldest of eight siblings, and graduated from The Lawrenceville School in 1960. Lover of mountains and eager for adventure, he moved to Boulder, Colorado to study civil engineering at the University of Colorado. Taking a hiatus from his studies, Moke joined the US Marines Corps and was stationed in Subic Bay, Philippines during the Vietnam War. After serving, he returned to the University of Colorado and earned his BA degree in English Literature in 1968, a passion which lasted until his final days.

In 1967, Moke married Susan Grant in Littleton, Colorado. While living on the front range, he attended flight school and earned his certification as a flight instructor at Sky Ranch Airport. Moke and Susan moved to Steamboat Springs in 1971, where Moke worked at Routt County National Bank and taught flight school in the evenings. For many years he stabled his Cessna on their farm and flew back to the east coast, the southwest, and to Baja, Mexico. Gregarious by nature, Moke left the bank to sell real estate as a partner at RE/MAX. The couple had two children, Lance and Mariah, and divorced in 1987. In 1993, Lance died in a car accident at the age of eighteen.

Ever-correcting the grammar of those around him, Moke put his love of the English language to use grading highschool GED papers after retiring from real estate. Along with his long-time partner, Nancy Jewell, Moke renovated properties in Mesa County, bred and raised West Highland White Terriers, and supported her work with Partners and Girl Scouts. A strong believer that nothing was beyond repair, from radios to washing machines, he also established FIXIT, a one-man handyman service.

Jack-of-all-trades and artist to the core, Moke spent his free time taking photographs, painting landscape watercolors, woodworking, writing, brewing beer, wine-making, raising exotic pigeons, renovating his beloved camper, “The Thistlepod,” and devising contraptions to harness wind and solar energy. His passion for art and invention was surpassed only by his love for the outdoors. Whenever time allowed, he explored the desert canyons of the southwest, climbed fourteeners, and camped in all seasons.

In his final years, Moke devoted himself to rescuing senior West Highland White Terriers and enjoyed a quiet existence in relative solitude, interspersed by visits from beloved friends, family and his partner, Ruth Ann. He was preceded in death by his son, Lance, and his brothers, Lance, Kit and Duncan. Moke is survived by his daughter, Mariah (Todd); grandson, Landon; and siblings Cherry, Peter, Whit and Josh. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Westie Rescue Network, Inc., Attn: Hollie Hunter, Treasurer, P.O. Box 884, Lafayette, CO 80026, http://www.westierescuenetwor…, Friends of the Yampa at http://www.friendsoftheyampa.…, or The Community Agriculture Alliance at http://www.communityagallianc….

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