Raymond John Sleep was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 11th, 1931 to Alice (Neish) and John Sleep.
He was the eldest of their three boys, including Richard and Ernest.
Ray’s love for literature, writing and learning began at a young age and he loved to teach himself. In childhood, he skipped school to lie on the roof of their Detroit home and read. He and his brothers had many adventures boating and swimming in the Detroit River near Belle Isle.
Ray graduated from Southeastern High School in 1949 and went on to Wayne (State) University. He left Wayne University in pursuit of his dream of becoming a writer and moved to Manhattan in 1949 for six weeks, when he ran out of money and claimed, “my pen just wouldn’t write a story”.
After returning home, Ray was drafted into the US Army in 1951 to serve in the Korean War. Ray served as a Corporal with the 313th Military Intelligence Platoon and was stationed in Kornwestheim, Germany. He lived and served with his small unit in a villa where eventually he would meet a beautiful housekeeper, his future bride, Helene Magdalene Schwarzwalder. Ray always said, “It was love at first sight”.
They married on March 6th, 1954. After being discharged from the Army, Ray earned college credit taking classes at the University of Maryland’s branch in Munich, Germany. Upon returning home to the United States with Helene, Ray continued classes at Wayne University and graduated in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in English.
The immediate family will be gathering for a celebration of his life to honor Ray.
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