Hope Raymond
Dec. 11, 1929-March 12, 2024
Palo Alto and Pleasanton, California

Hope Raymond was born in Boston, Massachusetts on December 11, 1929. She was a woman of courage, integrity, and grace. Her life centered around her love of the world and passion for learning. Over the course of her life Hope led countless spiritual seminars, traveled the world, journaled extensively, authored three books, and had four children, seven grandchildren, three great grandchildren, and a large extended family who all loved her dearly.

Hope obtained her B.A. in English from Wellesley College, where she formed lasting friendships and developed the values she would hold most dear throughout her life — intellectual stimulation and life-long learning, respect for the environment, and the caring for and understanding of others. She spent much of early adulthood as a teacher, first teaching in Palo Alto just after college. When her husband’s work brought the family to Ghana, Hope taught a variety of subjects to international students of all ages and backgrounds. Once back in California, Hope found her niche in early childhood education while teaching in preschools for children of disadvantaged backgrounds as well as directing the preschool for graduate students’ children at Stanford University.

Throughout her life, Hope remained very close with her four children — Nancy, Dave, Steve, and Carol — and also with her large extended family. She took immense joy in witnessing the milestones of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She was adored by her family, and they regarded her as an inspirational matriarch and the “glue” that kept them so close to one another. She instilled in them a respect for the utmost importance of living life with integrity, caring for one another, and making time to be together.

Hope traveled extensively, even in childhood when she lived in occupied Germany after World War II while her father provided legal expertise during the Nuremberg Trials. She spent three years in Ghana, took numerous trips to Central America, and generously brought her beloved family members on trips all over the world. However, the highlight of her lifetime of travels was a four-month solo trip around the world at age seventy which she chronicled in her first book Four Moons.

Throughout much of her adult life, Hope was actively involved in the First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto. She was a deep thinker, fascinated by the intersections of theology with astrology, psychology, and social justice. In 1983 Hope earned her Master of Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. She went on to become an Associate Pastor for Noe Valley Ministry in San Francisco and was also heavily involved in the Guild for Psychological Studies where over many years she led countless seminars that incorporated the principles of Jungian psychology with spirituality and the study of the Historical Jesus.

Hope showed a deep, genuine interest in others throughout her life, leaving a positive impact on everyone she met. She was passionate about social justice and about helping others to realize their full potential and fulfill their dreams. She hosted Salvadoran refugees in her own home while working with the South Bay Sanctuary Covenant in an effort to make Palo Alto a “sanctuary city.” Hope advocated for gay rights and better treatment of gay people during the AIDS epidemic. Hope became a hypnotherapist and used her skills to help others in addressing personal challenges and managing symptoms of illness. In her later years, she and her beloved dog Nikki formed an animal therapy team visiting people in hospitals, schools, airports, and jails.

A lifetime of studying spirituality and humanity led Hope to a deep examination of the concept of consciousness. The last decades of her life were dedicated to investigating patterns of human behavior which Hope also saw reflected on a universal scale. She developed a philosophical framework in which humans serve as the heralds of moral consciousness for the universe. Hope’s exploration of this philosophy is detailed in her final two books, To Dance with the Universe and Where in the World is God?.

In August of 2023, upon returning home from a trip promoting her final book, Hope was diagnosed with lung cancer. Hope faced death with grace, courage, and the same inquisitive mind and philosophical perspective that she had maintained throughout the rest of her life. She lived each remaining moment fully, spending as much time as possible surrounded by the friends and family she held most dear. In February of 2024 she moved from Stoneridge Creek in Pleasanton — where she had joyfully lived among friends since 2018 — and went to stay with her eldest daughter in Boulder Creek to spend her final weeks among family. There she was lovingly cared for, and visited daily with her other children and extended family until she passed away on March 12, 2024, at the age of 94 with her two daughters and cat Simba by her side.

Hope’s introspection, independence, and determination to remain true to herself were an inspiration to all around her. She was a feminist who delighted in being a mom and grandmother, a religious leader who regarded science as highly as she did the Bible, and a progressive who deeply respected the importance of tradition. Hope loved games, had a great sense of humor, and regularly laughed until she cried. She had great compassion for the natural world, and had profound love for her many pets over the years. She was admired and adored by her family. Hope was dearly loved and will be greatly missed, but her loved ones have faith that her soul continues to live on as fully and passionately now as ever.

A celebration of life will be held in Hope Raymond’s honor on Saturday, May 18, 2024. at 2:00 in the afternoon at First Presbyterian Church, 1140 Cowper Street, Palo Alto, California. All who knew her are welcome. In remembrance of Hope Raymond’s life, the family asks that a charitable donation be made in lieu of flowers to one of the following charities that were important to Hope: Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation, American Cancer Society, UNICEF, or Alzheimer’s Association.

Hope Raymond’s Family:

Parents: John Marshall Raymond and Grace Huntington (Teel) Raymond – both preceded her in death

Siblings: John “Jack” Marshall Raymond Jr., Richard Raymond, Carol (Raymond) Murray – all preceded her in death

First spouse: John Griffith Ames IV (married August 29, 1953, divorced 1974) – preceded her in death

Second spouse: Robert Tod Schimke (married June 25, 1977, divorced 1992) – preceded her in death

Children: Nancy Ames Swan, David Russel Ames (m. Cynthia Schimke), Steven Bonsu Ames (m. Kathryn Evans), Carol Elizabeth Ames (m. Joseph Beene)

Grandchildren: Melanie Swan (m. Tyler Dill), Benjamin Swan, Jillian Ames (m. L.J. Jones), Elliott Ames, Alejandra Reyes (m. Murphy Reyes), Andre Perez (m. Laney Brint), Steven Ames

Great grandchildren: Edgar Perez, Jr., Miabella Reyes, Georgia Jones

Nieces: Carol (Murray) Goldberg (m. Markus Goldberg, preceded her in death), Susan (Murray) Kuczynski (m. Tony Kuczynski)

Close cousins, great nieces and nephews: Charles Kimball, Christy Goldberg, Lucas Goldberg, Nicole Goldberg, Brian Kuczynski (preceded her in death), Rebecca Kuczynski, Michelle Kuczynski