Raymond Joseph Dempster
Raymond Dempster, a long-time resident of Dothan, passed away on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at the age of 93, in Midlothian, Virginia.
Funeral services will be held at Glover Funeral Home of Dothan on Friday, October 24, 2025. The family will receive friends and relatives for visitation and viewing from 10:00 until 10:45 a.m. prior to services at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Elizabeth Hinton of First United Methodist of Dothan officiating. A private family burial will follow at Gardens of Memory Cemetery with Glover Funeral Home directing. Flowers may be sent to Glover Funeral Home of Dothan. Ray was a lifelong fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide, and flowers with Crimson and White would be especially appreciated.
Ray was born on November 6, 1931, in Mobile, Alabama, to George Gilbert and Catherine Clark Dempster. After graduating from Murphy High School, Ray enlisted in the United States Navy and served from 1951-54, during which time he received a National Defense Medal. Following his discharge, Ray took accounting classes at Spring Hill College and began employment at GMAC, where he worked for 37 years until his retirement in 1991. He moved to Pensacola, Florida, and met his future wife of 65 years, Mathilda (Tillie) Johnson, at this time. They were married on April 25, 1959.
Raymond and Tillie moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in June of 1969, and raised two sons, Douglas and Gregory, before retiring to Dothan in 1992. They moved to Midlothian, Virginia, in January of 2023 to be close to their youngest son, Gregory, and his wife, Michaux.
Ray was preceded in death by his parents George and Catherine Dempster of Mobile; his beloved wife, Mathilda, of Midlothian, Virginia; his sister Rita Neira of Fairhope, Alabama; and his brother James Dempster of Mobile. He is survived by his sons, Douglas, of Dothan, and Gregory, of Midlothian, Virginia; his niece, Becky Neira, of Fairhope, Alabama; and one grandchild, Douglas Schilz, of Boise, Idaho.
Ray’s legacy is one of kindness, compassion, and love for his family, friends, and his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His caregivers and friends at Brookdale Midlothian often recall that he ended every conversation with “I love you.” His memory will continue to live on in the hearts of those he touched.
Glover Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Please sign the guestbook online at www.gloverfuneral.com
