Obituary of Raymond Thomas Vial

Raymond Thomas Vial, 88, moved on to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 24, 2017. He is survived by his loving wife, Tommie Jean Vial; son Raymond and wife Patti Vial; daughter Karen and husband Robert Morrow; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Raymond was born on November 10, 1928 in Portland, Oregon. He loved his time growing up there and would often recount of his many adventures biking around the city and camping at Crater Lake. As a teenager however, his family moved to Houston, so that his father, who was ailing, could be in a warmer climate. In his teenage years, Raymond discovered his love for carpentry as he built his first two-car garage by himself in Pecan Park at the age of 16. Later, he would then use those same carpentry skills to build the home which he lived in with his wife and children for over 50 years. Before meeting his wife however, he was drafted into the Army at the age of 26 where he served his country as a helicopter mechanic in the Korean War. After his tour of duty, he came back home to Houston where he worked at Nabisco for 40 years until retirement. In 1955, he met and married the love of his life, Tommie Jean. Upon the birth of their two children, they quickly moved out of Houston and into Pearland so that they could enjoy raising their kids. Raymond and Tommie enjoyed a sweet 61 years of marriage together, full of life and love. Outside of being a terrific husband and father, he was a quite the handyman. He was known for spending his evenings piddling around in the garage, messing with all sorts of tools and machinery for his many different creations. He also loved being outdoors which included many fun activities such as: camping, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, tennis, scuba diving, and motorcycling. In his retirement, he loved spending quality time with his wife and family. This also included going their daughter’s dance studio in the evenings where he visited with the parents. He enjoyed being with people and often filled the role as an extra grandpa or father figure to those students, or even parents, who needed a kind word or smile in their life. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke it mattered. Raymond was a kind man who was loved by all and will be missed by many. Services for Raymond will be held Sunday, January 29, 2017 at Clayton Funeral Home, 5530 W. Broadway, Pearland, Texas 77581. The visitation will take place from 2:00 until 3:00 pm with the funeral service following at 3:00 pm. Interment will be held On Monday, January 30, 2017 at 1:00 pm at SouthPark Cemetery in Pearland, Texas.