Otila "Tillie" Raymond

O’tila F. Casanova “Tillie” was born in San Antonio, Texas, December 9th 1925. She was the first daughter of three girls born to Pedro Casanova and O’tila Apolinar Casanova. She was a direct descendant of Don Jose Antonio Peres Casanova of the 16 original families of the Canary Islands in Spain that founded San Antonio in 1731. Texas became a state in 1845.
Tillie’s first language was Spanish.
It was at a USO club dance where she caught the eye of Harold Riggs Raymond, enlisted Army Air Corps at Kelly Field. They were married on December 20, 1948. Thus began a romance of 64 years ending at the time of Harold’s death in 2012.
At school Tillie trained to become a seamstress. During WWII she worked in a factory making uniforms for the military. Sewing was a skill she enjoyed and made the most of when she became Costume Mistress for the Bellingham Theater Guild, working alongside David Mason and other Costume Designers from Western Washington University Theater Arts Program. It was while dressing the actors at the Theater Guild that she discovered her lifelong passion for collecting costume jewelry. This was a collection that later went on to include American Indian art, Oriental art, silver, China and other art collectables.
Tillie was an excellent racquetball player and at one time held 1st place in three different age divisions. She enjoyed working out at the gym and was a long time member of the Bellingham YMCA, appearing in the Y’s newspaper advertising. She enjoyed tennis and badminton. She was an accomplished card player and enjoyed poker, pinochle and bridge.
Tillie was a member of the Wilderness Club. She loved travel and had the opportunity to travel the world with the advantage of speaking a second language fluently.
Tillie is survived by her children Irene Hutchinson (husband Jim) of Kirkland, WA; Richard Raymond (wife Donna) of Tacoma; Mark Raymond (wife Theresa) of Bellingham and Phillip Raymond (wife Nancy) of Sedro-Woolley; five grandchildren, Robert Hutchinson, Jessica Hoffman (husband Nate), Steven Raymond (wife Kathie), Alecia Raymond, and Olivia Raymond, 4 great-grandchildren Elizabeth, Annalise, Eaven and Isabel; her nieces and nephews Nancy Martin, Diana Chavez, Lisa Chavez, William Chavez, Francisco Alarcon, Sara Alarcon, Peter, Briseno, Gery Briseno, Arthur Briseno, Michael Briseno, and Roger Briseno.
A Celebration of Tillie’s life will be held at Westford Funeral Home on Friday, February 21, 2014 at 11:00 AM, followed by a reception across the street at Westford’s Broadway Hall. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association at http://www.diabetes.org .