The Louis and Katie Raynor Scholarship was established to help motivated and driven high school graduates with the financial responsibilities that come along with gaining a higher education.
Louis and Katie Raynor live and raised their family of five children in Clinton, North Carolina.
Louis and Katie met through mutual acquaintances and later married in April of 1969. Growing up during a time when it was difficult for families, the belief in education as a means to success was birthed.
As a young adult, Katie worked at the Hamilton Beach Factory, worked on the farm, and assisted with the family business. Katie chose not to work and instead nurtured the growing family for the next 14 years. When the last of the children began school, Katie rejoined the workforce as a domestic home cleaner and later joined the cafeteria staff at Sampson Memorial Hospital. Katie left the hospital and began working for Prestige Farms in the hatchery where she retired as plant manager.
Katie Mae Butler graduated from Sampson High School in 1967. Louis Jerry Raynor graduated from Hargrove High School in 1965. The couple married on April 6, 1969 in Clinton, NC.
Before getting married, Louis was drafted into the Army and was sent to Vietnam. After pulling his military tour, Louis returned home to work on the family farm. While farming, he began driving for a local trucking company. He later became owner/operator of a trucking company. Later Louis leased his trucks to Ezzell Trucking and started driving for the company. Louis worked for Ezzell until 1992 when medical illnesses and physical disabilities limited his ability to drive long distance.
Louis "Smiley" Raynor spent the majority of his later years sharing his memories of war alongside other veterans, as well as supporting his wife and children in their endeavors.
The scholarship has been continued as a part of the ongoing legacy after the family's loss of its superhero on December 28, 2018.