Raymond M. Batten was born February 22, 1924 in Newport News, VA; passed away on January 13th 2013 in Spokane, Washington at the age of 88. He was preceded by his parents Raymond M Batten Sr. and Rose Batten (Eckhardt). Raymond graduated class valedictorian from Granby High School in Virginia and attended the Virginia Military Academy (VMI) on an academic scholarship. When the war broke out he enlisted in the US Army and served in the 101 Airborne, 377 Parachute Artillery Battalion, "The Screaming Eagles". While in service Raymond saw action, among other places, in Bastogne, where he was awarded the purple heart for being shot during a nighttime drop. He also played a critical role in Operation Market-Garden, placing explosives on the bridge crossing at the lower Rhine stopping the advance of enemy forces. As a member of the special forces, he learned to ski on the Swiss Alps and was a part of the invasion on Hitler's "Eagles Nest" After the war Raymond returned to the states to attend the University of Denver where he received his degree in civil engineering. While in school, he worked for the Bureau of Public Roads surveying for the highway through Yellowstone National Park. After graduating, he went on to work for Standard Oil in Denver and was involved in the Yellowstone Pipeline, becoming the youngest regional engineer. He later started Northwestern Construction which he ran for several decades, building commercial facilities and service stations throughout the Northwest. Raymond lived in the same home, which he built, on 20th Ave from 1954 until his death. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, fishing, biking and the law. "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." - Spokesman Review January 18, 2013