Raymond Hengel, 91, of Rapid City, died peacefully on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014, at the South Dakota Veterans Home in Hot Springs. Ray was born on February 14, 1922 in Pierre, SD, one of seven children to Tony and Hattie Hengel. After attending high school in Pierre, he began his college career at St. John's University in Collegeville, MN. His time there was short-lived, as studies were put on hold when he enlisted in the Army. On New Year's Day, 1944, Ray left for Europe aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth and found himself in Wales, where he was stationed as an investigator. During the following six months he rode over 20,000 miles on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle while performing his duties. Although he enjoyed driving his motorcycle thru the Wales countryside, his true love was flying, and eventually he convinced his commanding officer to approve a transfer to Paris, where he flew a small single engine airplane while mapping bombing runs. He also spent time in Bavaria, and following the war returned to the United States and was discharged from the US Army Air Force in January, 1946. Ray enjoyed telling stories of his wartime adventures, and always said it was an experience that he was proud of, but one he would never want to repeat. Following his military service, he began his pursuit of another passion - architecture. He enrolled at Kansas State University, where he graduated in 1952 with two degrees, one in architecture and the other in structural engineering. From there he set out on a career in architecture and engineering that spanned 60 years. In the early 70's he joined with partners to start his own architectural firm and late in 2012, at the age of 90, after having designed or worked on over 2000 projects across western South Dakota, he reluctantly stopped working after suffering a fall. While he had many highlights during his long career, there were two in his later years of which he was especially proud. First was an article in the South Dakota Magazine that featured his career. The second happened during his 90th birthday dinner, where a diner at a nearby table overheard his name and said "I'm from Sioux Falls and I've heard stories about a 90-year-old architect in Rapid City. Is that him? He's a legend!" But above all he loved his faith and family. In the early 1960's he noticed a woman in a blue Ford Thunderbird driving around town and later discovered they had a mutual acquaintance. After being introduced in 1962, Ray and Katherine Linehan were married in 1963 and had one son, Andy. Ray and Kathy shared many interests throughout their 45 years together (although Ray's love of flying was not one of them), and in later years both worked together at Ray's architectural firm. On the rare day that Ray was not working, he could be found exploring the Black Hills with his family, hunting with his son, tinkering in the basement, riding his bike (until a crash in his mid 80's convinced him that may not be such a good idea), and pretending to read the paper while sleeping on the couch. He was fortunate to have many friends and relatives, and his absolute favorite times were attending family gatherings and having dinner with friends. Ray was also active in many organizations, including 70 years as a 4th Degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus, making him the longest living member in western South Dakota. Ray is survived by his son, Andy, and daughter-in-law, Terri, of Los Gatos, Calif,; and brothers Bernie Hengel, Aberdeen, and Paul Hengel, Swedesboro, N.J. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Kathy, a sister Elizabeth (Lamster), a brother John, and two other brothers in infancy. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with a 7 p.m. Christian wake service, on Monday, Jan. 20, at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home. Christian funeral mass will be offered at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21 at Blessed Sacrament Church, with the Rev. Brian Lane presiding. Burial, with military honors provided by Rushmore VFW Post 1273 and the South Dakota National Guard, will follow at 1 p.m. at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis. Memorials have been established for the Knights of Columbus, Blessed Sacrament Church Council No. 8844 in Rapid City, and the American Legion Post 71 in Hot Springs.