Raymond Everett Balcomb
date of birth February 8 1923
date of death June 10 2012
Dr. Raymond E. Balcomb died on June 10, 2012 at age 89. A memorial service will be held at 11am, July 7th, 2012 at First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson, Portland, OR. Reception following.
Dr. Balcomb was born in San Bernardino, CA in 1923 and grew up in Palo Alto, CA graduating from Palo Alto High School. During the Second World War, while an undergraduate student, he became a journeyman machinist at the Joshua Hendy Iron works of Sunnyvale, CA, which built triple-expansion steam engines for Liberty ships. He graduated from San Jose State College with distinction and departmental honors; and Boston University School of Theology, magna cum laude, and received his Ph.D. degree from Boston University Graduate School. He was recognized as a distinguished alumni in 1960.
He was ordained in the ministry of The Methodist Church in 1946, and was the pastor of churches in Holbrook and Ashland, MA before moving to Oregon in 1951. There he was pastor of the Sellwood, Portland; 1st Medford; and 1st Corvallis Methodist Churches before returning to Portland in 1963 to become pastor of First Methodist Church Portland. He held this position for 19 years, longer than any other minister in the more than 150 year history of Portland’s first church. In 1982 Dr. Balcomb was appointed Superintendent of the Metro District of the United Methodist Church until his retirement in 1988. He held numerous offices in the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and was, for 28 years, its Parliamentarian. He was an elected member of Jurisdictional Conference four times and General Conference three times. He was a past chairperson of the ACLU of Oregon and was the author of 3 books and numerous articles for professional journals.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Hazel, his children Bernice Lincicum of Hillsboro, OR; Rosemary Schulte of Albany, OR; Gene Balcomb of Portland, OR; and Scott Balcomb of Ashland, OR; 8 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Joanne Balcomb.
The family suggests remembrances to the Permanent Endowment Fund of First United Methodist Church, Portland, OR.
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