Raymond Joseph Kokesh (Ray)

Scotland, Olivet, SD

1935, 4726, Crow Creek, SCS-1,
1937, 1791, Custer, F-12, Ass't Leader
1939, 791, Lightning Creek, F-14, Field Leader

Ray Kokesh is one of the transferees from Camp Custer. His experience and work in the CCC is probably as extensive and as interesting as that of any other member.

As usually is the case, the men in our camp and in our Who's Who are men who were enrolled in a Camp in the Black Hills and their entire term was spent in various camps of the Hills.

However, Ray has been in other camps in other states. It was in Idaho that Ray made an excellent record. While there he helped fight one of the worst forest fires for the particular period. The adverse conditions under which that fire was fought definitely shows us just what kind of a man Kokesh really is. Because of the startling rapidity with which the fire spread it was difficult to set up a fire line. Ray states that the fire had a 150 mile front, and that camps from Montana, Idaho and Wyoming were on it for two weeks. He was employed by the United States Forest Service at the time of this great fire, stationed at Boville, Idaho.

When Ervin Voegele of this camp was struck and killed by lightning on the fire line at the McVey fire, it was Ray Kokesh, who carried his body from the fire line to the ambulance about three quarters of a mile. Ray has been a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps for the past two years. He spent 9 months in the camp at Chamberlain, a year in two camps in Custer, and since last April a member of Lightning Creek. Besides his knowledge of these four camps, he has had acquaintance with several camps in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, which give him excellent qualifications to judge camps. Of this camp Ray says, "Lightning Creek camp is the best one I've seen yet, and I've seen a lot of them . . .it's school building, canteen hall, and the situation of the camp has got them all beat."

SCOTLAND - Raymond Joseph Kokesh, 82, died Thursday, Jan. 21, 1999, at Landman-Jungmann Memorial Hospital.

Kokesh was born Aug. 3, 1916, at Lesterville. He attended Klinkner Country School and worked on his parents' farm. Later, he worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps in the Black Hills. He also worked with a contractor in heavy construction.

He served in World War II from 1942 to 1945.

He married Delphine Cuka on Oct. 5, 1948, at Tabor. They farmed southwest of Scotland. He retired in 1994 but continued to live on the farm.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons: Eugene and Dennis, both of Scotland; five grandchildren; four sisters: Elsie Cap and Grace Hacecky, both of Yankton, Frances Thunker of Crofton, Neb., and Sylvia Dvorak of Scotland; and three brothers: Ernest of Mitchell, and Mike and Edward, both of Wagner.

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