Raymond James Cruickshank, 85, of Cedarville, died Saturday, December 5, 2009, at Mackinac Straits Hospital Long Term Care in St. Ignace.

He was born October 7, 1924, on Lime Island, to William Wesley Cruickshank and Frances Louise (nee Cheer) Cruickshank.

Mr. Cruickshank was one year old when his parents moved off the island to a farm in Stalwart. He attended Tripp School in Stalwart and then Pickford Schools.

He worked on the farm and in the woods until he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944. In the Navy, he assisted in hauling supplies for the construction of B-29 runways. He was stationed on the Island of Tinian in the Pacific. Following the war, he returned home and worked in construction for a time until he began working at the Cedarville limestone quarry May 30, 1953.

At the quarry, he met Dorothy Gustafson. They were married June 4, 1955, in Pickford. They resided in Cedarville, where their family grew up. Mr. Cruickshank retired from the quarry in 1986.

A quiet man, Mr. Cruickshank loved hunting, fishing, and spending time with his children and grandchildren, friends said. He was a Boy Scouts leader and a good story teller. After they retired, Mr. and Mrs. Cruickshank had a winter place in Florida that they enjoyed for 15 years.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; two daughters, Marcie Mae Shiels of Alanson and Joyce Louise Cruickshank of Cedarville; and one son and his family, Bruce Raymond and Tammy Cruickshank of Cedarville. Also surviving are one grandson, Nickolas “Buddy-Lee” Shiels; and two granddaughters, Coryell Marie Cruickshank and Courtney Caro Cruickshank. He also is survived by his sister, Helen Portice of Pickford, and two sisters-in-law, Mary Cruickshank of Suttons Bay, formerly of Pickford, and Elizabeth Pomarius of Cedarville.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his son in law, Mike Shiels; three brothers, William, Samuel, and Marshall Cruickshank; a sister, Elizabeth Pollard; a brother-in-law, Thomas Portice Jr., and his father- and mother-in-law, Leonard “Leo” and Mae Gustafson.

Services were Tuesday, December 8, at Reamer Galer Funeral Home in Pickford. Visitation was from noon to 2 p.m. with the service at 2 p.m. Jason McInally, Matt Jensen, and Brad Wilson conducted the service.

Burial will be in Cedar Cemetery in Cedarville in the spring.