After a long struggle with poor health, a debilitating disease claimed the body of Robert D. Raines but never his spirit, family members said. Mr. Raines loved to go out dancing with his wife on Saturday nights and it never mattered where, just as long as 1950s or country music was played. In more recent years, he danced in his kitchen, usually with his granddaughter. He also enjoyed just sitting at the kitchen table and listening to melodies. “He was a very good dancer and a joy to be around,” said his daughter, Lauri. Mr. Raines, 67 of Kaneville, a retired meat inspector, died Wednesday, Aug. 25, at Provena Mercy Center Hospital in Aurora, of diabetes. Born and raised in Albia, Iowa, Mr. Raines graduated from Albia High School. During his summers, family members said he traveled to Elburn to work at the Elburn Packing Plant until his enlistment in the Air Force in 1955. He served as a radar operator in Ft. Knox, Ky., until his discharge a year later. Prior to his release, he would hitchhike home from Ft. Knox to visit his mother, as well as his future wife, Marjorie. “Once he returned home for good, we finally got married,” said his wife. The couple married in 1957 and lived in Elburn, where he continued for a time at the packing plant. Mr. Raines later returned to school to become a certified government meat inspector, a job to which he dedicated the next 30 years of his life. His growing family moved often during the next few years, going wherever his job would take him. After living in Geneva, Rochelle, Ill., and Michigan, the family eventually settled in the Kaneville area, where the Raineses made their home for the last 34 years. Mr. Raines retired in 1995 and soon after began focusing on his favorite pastimes of refinishing furniture and setting up antique exhibits at the Kane County Flea Market and the Sandwich Antiques Market Fair in DeKalb County. He also built several solar heat boxes. “He was a strong, loving man, who never had a cross word for anybody,” said his wife. “He never liked to ask for help, but he was always the first to offer his hand to those in need.” For many years, Mr. Raines was also a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose in Aurora. Other survivors include two sons, Jim and Robert Jr.; another daughter, Rhonda Stiefbold; and nine grandchildren. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn.
