Funeral mass took place Oct. 3 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Bayonne, for Raymond R. Rakowski, 91, passed away on Sunday, September 30 at the Bayonne Medical Center. He was born and raised in Jersey City and lived in Bayonne for many years. He served his country during World War II as a Naval Petty Officer 3rd Class, a Radar Man MIT trained. During the invasion of Normandy on D Day, he participated as part of the Fox Red and Easy Green on the Omaha Beach Invasion. He was part of a 14 man crew on a Landing Craft Control which captured the first German pilot shot down, then delivering that pilot to a prison ship. This operation continued for 23 days straight. There were only 16 LCC’S involved in the entire war. The one he served on was 56 feet long, 14 feet wide and had two twin caliber machine guns. The ensuing assignment for him was the Goose Berry Operation. Due to the secretiveness of this mission, detailed records were not kept and he received no special recognition for his heroic work.
He returned to his home in Jersey City and joined the Jersey City Police Fore in 1950 as a patrolman. He retired on April, 1, 1982 as a Detective with the Youth Bureau. He was a member of the last JCPD baseball team and last active president of the J.C. Dukes A.C. of Jersey City. He was predeceased by his wife Maryann R. (nee: Dombrowski) Rakowski; his siblings, Harold Rakowski and Regina Rock. He was the father of Lorraine Rakowski, Dorothy Kowalchik and her husband Emil, Marie DeRosa and her husband Robert and Barbara Weiner; brother of Theresa Kloby. Services arranged by the S. Fryczynski and Son Funeral Home, Bayonne.