Raymond L. Eaton, 71, died from cancer on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 in Oviedo, Fla., at his daughter's house, where he and his wife Glenda, moved after being diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal cancer in August 2008. They had lived in the Gulfport and Diamondhead, Miss., areas for 11 years.

Ray was born on Nov. 8, 1937, in Hays and grew up Ellis. He received a bachelor of architecture and a masters in regional planning from Kansas State University. He married Glenda G. Drake on June 1, 1958. After living in Kansas, they moved to Kentucky and then to Mississippi in 1968.

His career spanned more than 35 years in the areas of urban design, planning, architecture and engineering. He did work world-wide. He started in 1962 as resident planning director for Hopkinsville, Ky., and then went on to become the state director of planning for Kentucky. For 15 years he was a partner in Lewis-Eaton Partnership in Jackson, Miss., which was a subsidiary of Reynolds, Smith and Hills, where he was an associate vice president for a year and a half. He then formed his own company and served as president of Eaton & Associates for several years. In 1998, he served as the director of public works for the City of Waveland, Miss. In 2003, he took a position as the city of Gulfport planning administrator, from which he retired in 2008.

He was the author of many business publications and received several awards for his architectural work. He served four years in the Kansas and Kentucky National Guard. Ray was an Eagle/Palm Scout and received the Church, God and Country Award. He received the NRA award as Distinguished Rifleman. He was invited for tryouts with the Kansas City Athletics professional baseball team. He was the youngest draft and was assigned to Kansas City's Columbia, S.C., organization and then played semi-pro in Great Bend. He also played college basketball at Fort Hays University.

He is survived by his wife; a son, Ray L. Eaton Jr. and wife, Shelly; a daughter Kaylynn Eaton Harrison and husband, J.P.; and four grandchildren, Stewart and Avery Eaton, and Kayli and Chase Harrison.

Services were Friday in the Winter Garden Cemetery, Winter Garden, Fla.

Cards can be sent to Glenda Eaton at 2300 Bur Oak Court, Oviedo, FL,32766.