William Lee Raymond

William "Bill" Lee Raymond, 75, of Holland passed away Thursday afternoon. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Fennetta, and his two daughters, Alissa Raymond (of Holland, MI), and Kelly Raymond (and Mike Hossack of Schoolcraft, MI), his grandson, Dexter Merry (of Bay City, MI) and his brother and sister in law, Bernard and Judy Raymond (of Sanford, MI). He was preceded in death by his parents Clarence and Elizabeth (Henry) Raymond of Hope, MI. 

He was a 1968 graduate of Meridian High School. He earned his BA in Psychology from Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, TN and his Master's of Social Work from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. His career as a social worker spanned six decades and included working with youth and adults dealing with foster care, mental illness, housing insecurity, poverty and job loss. He also worked with the State of Michigan and various private entities regarding talent retention and workforce development. He initially retired in 2016 from Ottawa County as the Executive Director of Michigan Works! and came out of retirement a year later to move to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to become the CEO of Upper Peninsula Michigan Works!. He retired again in 2022 but never wanted to stop learning and sharing his knowledge. He was a mentor to numerous individuals throughout his career. He always stated how much he loved his work. 

He was a longtime member and past President of North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW) and his faith was important to him in both his personal and professional life. He most recently was a member of Threads Church in Kalamazoo, MI. 

When not working he enjoyed reading, going to coffee shops, visiting antique stores, traveling and watching Detroit sports. In his younger years he was an avid cyclist and later in life he enjoyed watching his grandson play football. 

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to: Love Your Neighbor in Hudsonville, MI (https://lovewm.org/financial-donation/) and/or The Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson's (https://www.kirkgibsonfoundation.org/)

The family is planning to have a memorial service at a later date.