Rae Licklider

Rae Elizabeth Woessner Licklider, age 88, passed away at K’s Place Personal Care Home in Danbury, Texas on September 9, 2021.

Rae was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 25, 1932, to Jules Frederich and Marian Elizabeth (Blum) Woessner.  After graduating from Alcée Fortier High School, she attended & graduated from the Mather School of Nursing at Baptist Hospital of New Orleans.  Rae attended First Baptist Church in New Orleans where she met Ray Licklider of Oklahoma.  Ray was stationed in New Orleans with the US Coast Guard.  They married September 18, 1954.

Several moves followed:  Charleston, South Carolina, where they started a family; son Kermit Frederich was born there, then after Ray’s mustering out, son Mark James, and daughter Denise (Dede) Jean were born in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Ray attended Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth where Ray and Rae accepted the call to the mission field; they were both in medicine, Ray as a Physical Therapist and Rae as an RN, and they went to Ethiopia, Africa in 1969.  After many months of language and cultural training, they were assigned to a large hospital station in central Ethiopia, and a stint in a more remote clinic station called Bako far to the south.

During their time in Africa they survived a cholera epidemic, the remoteness of Bako where the only way in was flying unless you could walk several hundred miles, numerous diseases and parasites, and finally the communist takeover of the Imperial Government of Ethiopia with attendant unrest, mob rule, and daily uncertainties, with friends and employees turning on them.  In 1977, with Ethiopia closed to missionaries, they were transferred to a hospital station in Maradi, Niger where they served 5 years.  Finally back home, Rae became a homemaker, Ray continued his PT career, and they both undertook to raise emus, eventually having several dozen emus and 2 ostriches.

Rae is preceded by her parents, Ray’s parents Clarence Raymond, Sr. and Helen Eusebia (Knipe) Licklider, and Rae’s husband Clarence (Ray) Raymond, Jr. She is survived by her brothers Jules Frederich Woessner (Fred) and his wife Mary of Denver, Colorado, and Dr. Rudolph Woessner (Rudy) and wife Susan of Arvada, Colorado; her children, Kermit and wife Lillie of Angleton,Texas, her son Mark and wife Patty of Austin, Texas, and daughter Dede Hart of The Colony, Texas; five grandchildren, Joey Licklider of Orlando, Florida, Rachel Ferraro and husband Marco, of Leymen, France, Loretta Adams-Licklider of Austin Texas, Ronan Hart of Logan, Utah, and Phillip Hart of The Colony; and four great grandchildren Aviva, Phoebe, Selah and Tony Ferraro all of Leymen; a brother-in-law Ronald Licklider, wife Linda, of Enid, Oklahoma, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Special thanks go to the wonderful staff at K’s Place for their professional care and loving ministrations during Rae’s time there; and special thanks to Altus Hospice for their professionalism.  C.T. Baker & Sons Funeral Home of West Columbia is in charge of the arrangements.  Rae’s ashes will be placed beside Ray’s at the Dallas National Cemetery at a later date to be announced.