William Raymond Motz
William Raymond (Uncle Ray) Motz, 95, of the New York State Veteran’s Home, Oxford, NY formerly of Queens Village, NY passed away peacefully on April 23, 2017. He was born in Brooklyn on July 6th, 1921, the son of Charles George Motz and Katherine Maude (Karpf) Motz. The family later moved to Queens Village.
He is survived by his sister, Ruth Moubray, and his nieces and nephews, Betty Moubray and Lou DeMott, Kristi Kass, Douglas and Mary Moubray and Charles and Leigh Motz. Several great nieces and nephews and great great nieces and nephews also survive. He was predeceased by a brother, George John, in September 2000 and a niece, Nancy Elizabeth, in 2016.
Uncle Ray enlisted in the Army in September 1942 and fought bravely as an infantryman in the Battle of the Bulge. He was a member of the 104th Infantry Division, also called the Timberwolves. He won many citations and his most memorable one was the Army Combat Infantryman Badge. This badge recognizes the inherent sacrifices of all infantrymen, and that, in comparison to all other military occupational specialties, infantrymen face the greatest risk of being wounded or killed in action. Uncle Ray graduated from NYU in New York City with a BS degree in accounting. He also attended Roanoke College in VA, and he took many advanced courses in accounting and economics after serving in the military. He was employed by a number of investment and mutual fund companies and he retired at the age of 70.
He was a member of the Masonic Order for 70 years, currently in the Springfield Gardens Lodge #1057, Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, in Rockville Center, NY and received the Distinguished Service Award for his many dedicated years of service in Masonry. He also was a member of American Legion #301 and VFW #6478 on Long Island, NY. He was very active in all his service organizations and he was very proud of his volunteer work in his community. He particularly enjoyed working in the Lutheran High School and Martin Luther Middle School and the St. Albans Veteran’s Home, all on Long Island.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Behe Funeral Home, 21 Main Street, Oxford, NY. Friends and family may call at the funeral home on Monday, May 1, 2017 from 12:00 PM– 1:00 PM funeral services will follow at 1:00 PM.
Memorial contributions can be made to the NYS Veteran’s Home, Route 220, Oxford, NY 13830. The NYS Veteran’s Home nurses and staff treated him like family and he truly appreciated the loving care they provided at what he called the “Old Soldiers’ Home.” As he would say to the staff and his family when the visit was over, “Carry On!”