Raymond J. Micco of Indiana, Pennsylvania, died on June 6, 2020 of complications from COPD. He was born on August 23,1931 in the small town of Greenville, PA to his parents John T. Micco and Anna Emmanule. He was the fifth of seven children in his family. He graduated in 1949 from Penn High school in Greenville, PA. In 1951 he enlisted in the Air Force. He served 2 1/2 years as a turret systems mechanic in the 452nd Bombardment Wing. He spent 1 year on the Miho Air Force Base in Japan, and was discharged in October 1953. He entered the Seminary at Gannon College in Erie, Pennsylvania. In 1955, he transferred to St. Mary’s seminary in Baltimore to continue studying for the priesthood. He received a bachelor’s degree in social work from St. Mary’s Seminary in 1957. After graduating, he worked as a caseworker for the Department of Public Welfare in Farrel, PA. He served as a lay missionary in the Western highlands of Papua New Guinea under Bishop Bernarding starting in 1960. He was stationed in Wurup Valley about 10 miles from Mt. Hagen where the bishop had his residence. He met Mary there and the couple were married on December 6, 1963 in New Guinea. Afterwards the couple returned to the US and they lived for a short time with his parents.
He obtained a scholarship from the Department of Public Welfare in 1964 to attend graduate school at Syracuse University. He received a masters degree in social work from Syracuse University in 1965. After graduating, Ray took a job at the Warrendal Youth Development Center in New Castle, during this time the family lived in Mars, PA. He worked for Catholic Social Services in Erie from 1967 until 1977 as a social worker where he became Director of the Agency. The agency took care of St. Joseph’s orphanage until it closed in 1971. They did adoptions, marriage counseling and work with the poor. The family purchased a home at 920 West 7th Street in Erie, where they lived from 1968 until about 1977. The family then moved to Pittsburgh, and Ray worked as a psychiatric social worker at the VA medical center on Highland drive. The family purchased a home at 1218 Morningside Ave and the kids entered school at St. Raphael’s. In 1987, after Mary took a job as a professor at IUP, the family moved to 104 Buena Vista Drive in Delmont, PA to make the commute shorter. Ray retired from his job as a social worker at the VA medical center in 1992. After retiring he became active in the pro-life movement with Father Weslin. He joined the “Lambs of Christ” an organization that protested at abortion clinics across the nation. He was arrested at numerous clinic protests. He often drove the group’s van called the “Lamb-o-zine”.
In 1993 the family moved again to 225 South Carpenter Ave in Indiana. He joined the Knights of Columbus Catholic men’s organization in 1993 where he holds the rank of Fourth Degree Knight. He became a Red Cross volunteer and trained for disaster work. He was assigned to sheltering for various hurricanes including Katrina and Hugo, floods in New Jersey and Vermont, fires in California, as well as local disasters and fires. In addition to his Red Cross volunteer work, Ray was an active hospice worker caring for numerous families with terminally ill patients.
He has helped people come to terms with their mortality and find a way to make peace with themselves, their families and God. He organized a grandparents corps to teach seniors how to communicate their faith more effectively to their grandchildren. He put together the St. Bernards Health Ministry to provide medical advice and blood pressure screenings for free, as well as help with insurance. He also worked on a visitation program where people visit the sick and isolated and provide assistance and support.
In 2013, Mary was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and they sold the family home and moved into a senior apartment that was handicap accessible. Mary died in 2016, and for a time he maintained the apartment, until 2019 when he moved into St. Andrews Village. He continued to stay active in the community, calling bingo, visiting hospice patients, and attending church functions.
He is survived by his brother Al Micco of Lakewood, CO, 5 children – John Micco of East Palo Alto California, Patricia Crain of Whitesboro TX, Linda Richmond of Fairfax VA, Dan Micco of Crete IL, and Joan Robbins of Herndon VA, 15 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.
Friends and family will be received at Bowser-Minich Funeral home at 500 Ben Franklin Road on Wednesday June 10 from 2-4pm and 7-9pm. There will be a funeral mass at 10am on Thursday June 11 at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church at 200 Clairvaux Drive, Indiana.
