Raymond Michael Klein was born January 6, 1912 to Nicholas and Frances (Wieber) Klein on a farm outside of Richmond, MN; he was the sixth of ten children. He received the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation at St. Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church in Richmond, MN. After attending country school, he helped operate the family farm until he enrolled at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul Campus. He graduated in 1940 with a degree in apiculture. During the summer of 1940, he took a job with Tanquary Honey Farms in Marshall, MN, hoping it would be the warmest locale of the three opportunities he was offered. In 1943 Ray went to California to assist in the war effort. He worked for Kaiser Shipyards building Liberty ships, as well as drove a San Francisco city bus, transporting sailors to and from Treasure Island Naval Base. During the 1940’s, Ray and his brother Eugene (Slim) were well known baseball players for the Marshall A’s. In 1950, Ray purchased Tanquary Honey Farms and renamed it Marshall Honey Farms. His lifelong love of beekeeping led to a successful business. In 1951, he established Klein’s Honey which is still available today more than 60 years later. On June 14, 1951, he was united in marriage to Cecilia (Haas) Klein in St. James Catholic Church in St. Paul, MN. They made their home in Marshall and were blessed with two children. Ray was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Knights of Columbus State Bowling Assn., the Minnesota Honey Producers Assn., the American Beekeeping Federation, and the Lyon County Fair Board. He was a Past Grand Knight, as well as Past President of the KC State Bowling Association and the Minnesota Honey Producers Association. In 2012, as the Marshall Council of the Knights of Columbus celebrated their 100th anniversary, Ray was honored by being selected the Council’s Century Knight. Ray enjoyed playing cards at Mike’s with his friends, watching baseball, bowling, reading newspapers and spending time with his family. Ray was a great storyteller and loved sharing his life experiences with his grandchildren or anyone willing to listen. He loved pie and being warm, whether it was sitting in a sunny location or by a fire. His faith was very important to him as evidenced by his generous giving of his time, his talent and his treasure. He lived a very grateful life, always being thankful for his blessings.
Ray died Wednesday, October 2, 2013 in Marshall.
Survivors include is his children, Stephen (Kay) Klein of Marshall and Rosemary (Mark) Martin of Villa Hills, KY; 7 grandchildren, Caroline (Rob) Koska, Stephanie, Nicholas, Christian Klein; Jordan, Jacob and Matthew Martin; sister-in-law Rita Klein of Cold Spring and numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Cecelia and siblings, Ed, Alfred, Herbert, Martha, Irene, Estella, Clara, Joseph and Eugene (Slim).
