Cover photo for Raymond H. Holter's Obituary
Raymond H. Holter Profile Photo
1909 Raymond 2010

Raymond H. Holter

June 29, 1909 — February 20, 2010

Raymond Henry Holter (1909-2010) was born on June 29th, the third son of a first-generation Irish American mother and a second-generation German American Father.

Ray was born at home on his parent's 13-acre farm in Upper Falls, Maryland. He began his education in the elementary schools of Upper Falls. In 1922, his parents, William and Margaret, purchased a 134-acre farm in Loreley (White Marsh); Ray, his younger sister and brother, completed their elementary education in the schools of Cowenton, Maryland. Two months into his first year at Towson High School, and at the age of 14, his formal schooling ended. His father took him out of school to help on the family farm.

He later described the time between his 14th and 19th years as being some of the best and some of the most difficult of his life. While he clearly had a great relationship with his parents, the work was hard, difficult, and, for a young man, lonely.

In 1928, a friend assisted him in landing a job with the Baltimore & Ohio (now CSX) Railroad, as a mail clerk in the Passenger department, earning $52 a month. Thus began a long 46-year career and love affair with the B&O, the only company he ever worked for.

In 1933, Ray met his future bride, Elinor Moulsdale, riding the commuter train to Baltimore. Their romance lead to marriage in 1936; and Ray was given a parcel of land on his father's farm. He and Elinor built a home on the farm and expanded it as their family grew. Their union produced 7 children, 3 boys & 4 girls, 8 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren.

Recognizing the need for continuing education, he returned to school at night, completing programs at the Baltimore Business College, The Baltimore College of Commerce, and Baltimore City College. He also knew that his future was limited as a mail clerk and quickly moved to a position as rate clerk. He continued his rapid advancement in the Passenger Department, and by 1946, he had risen to become overall General Passenger Agent, responsible for establishing passenger rates for the entire railroad.

In 1949, the B&O President decided to discontinue passenger service on the rail lines and appointed Ray to head a 3-person committee that oversaw the demise of the railroad's passenger service. Between 1950 and 1960, he traveled extensively, testifying before public service commissions in all the states where the railroad had service, notifying public and many private groups of the B&O's intent. In one of his more infamous cases, Ray ordered discontinuance of the train service he used for his daily commute to work.

During his tenure as General Passenger Agent, he represented the B&O in many regional and national associations, and served as an officer for several. For a period of time he served as Chairman for National Committee on Passenger Traffic for the Association of American Railroads. He routinely negotiated with the U.S. Military commands for movement of military personnel.

In 1960, as the B&O ended its passenger service, Ray transferred from the position of General Passenger Agent to that of General Freight Agent. In 1962, he became the B&O's General Freight Manager, responsible for freight rates across the entire system. It was during this period that American railroads were merging; the C&O railroad, later CSX Corp, purchased both the B&O and Western Maryland railroads. Ray took on additional responsibility for freight rates on the Western Maryland railroad and part of the C&O railroad.

As a result of the additional responsibility given him during the railroad mergers, Ray was promoted to the position of Assistant Vice President Chessie (C&O) Systems, a position he retained until his retirement in January of 1974; at the age of 64, he completed his 45 ½ year career (and love affair) with the American railroad.

The railroad did not keep him from playing a strong role in the development and education of his children & grandchildren. Realizing the increased importance of education, he strongly encouraged his children to continue their formal education beyond high school and provided them the assistance to do so. For Ray, his priorities were God, Family, and then the railroad.

His wife, Elinor, predeceased him in April of 2009; they had been married for 72 years. At the time of her passing, Ray had lived on his father's farm for 85 years. After spending 45 ½ years working for the railroad, he was able to enjoy the next 36 years in retirement. However, those that knew him well would never associate his active personal and community life with retirement. For Ray, work expanded to fill the available time. Just after his 100th birthday, he called the White House and left the president a long message with his thoughts on how to straighten out the U. S economy. At 100 ½ Ray spend his days writing and working on the many items of personal interest.

Pallbearers will be P. Matthew Plowman, Jonathan P. Plowman, Arthur C. Casserly Jr., Robert J. Rickabaugh, Andrew L. Flint, and Raymond P. Holter.

To send flowers to the family in memory of Raymond H. Holter, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Funeral Home

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

2:00 - 4:00 pm (Eastern time)

McComas Family Funeral Homes (Abingdon)

1317 Cokesbury Road, Abingdon, MD 21009

Get Directions

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Funeral Home

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Starts at 10:00 am (Eastern time)

St. Stephen Catholic Church

8030 Bradshaw Road, Kingsville, MD 21087

Get Directions

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Guestbook

Visits: 15

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Send Flowers

Send Flowers

Send With Love

Send With Love