January 5, 1947 – January 16, 2022
Raymond Lee Washburn passed away January 16, 2022 at his home at the age of 75. Raymond was born January 5, 1947 in Bristow, OK to Dimmie and Marie Yarborough Washburn.
Raymond was a longtime resident of Oklahoma City and a very large part of the blind community, having lost his sight as a child. He graduated from the Oklahoma School for the Blind in Muskogee where he also became an Oklahoma State Wrestling Champion. He was past president of Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America, the Oklahoma Council of the Blind, the Oklahoma League of the Blind Credit Union, and an avid beep ball player. Raymond was also a ham radio operator, K85NLO.
Raymond was a decades-long Oklahoma City resident most known for his heroism for leading people to safety and survival of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. For 32 years, Raymond owned and operated the snack bar on the 4th floor of the Murrah Building through the State of Oklahoma’s Blind Vending Stand program.
On that day, Raymond managed to free himself and rescue four customers and one employee from the rubble by leading them out of the building using his sense of direction. This, upon hearing their cries amidst the concrete dust and debris piercing their eyes: “I can’t see!”
Raymond was a proud member of the Yuchi Tribe of Native Americans in Oklahoma.
He was preceded in death by his parents and 2 sisters, Frances and Florence. He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou; children Diane Harper and Jay Hallmark; 3 grandchildren, Dominick “Icky” Harper, Leane “Bunchie” Harper and Diamond “Diamond Boy” Harper; his last living aunt, Ethelene Conley; and his beloved dog Poncho, as well as many other relatives and friends.