Raymond Joseph Pluto, 89

Raymond Joseph Pluto (Captain, SC, USN, retired) 89, of Leesburg, VA passed away peacefully Saturday, September 5, 2015. He was born April 25, 1926 in Dubois, PA, son of Eva Ferut and Anthony Pluto.

In 1943 he enlisted in the US Navy, and went on to have a distinguished career. He worked on two ships as supply and commissary officer, managed food processing and preparations for 10,000 galleys, feeding 100,00 recruits. Later, he was responsible for world-wide food distribution to depots supplying the naval fleet and also developed a mechanized account reporting system to facilitate the movement of food. In 1958 Ray managed the fuel tank farms at Guantanamo, Cuba, and received the Secretary of the Navy Commendation Medal for his work there. Then, he moved to the Ships Parts Control Center in Mechanicsburg, PA where he managed the Navy’s largest computer site. He finished his military career at US Navy Headquarters in Washington, DC as Chief of the Naval Material Management Information Center, and developed an inventory control system for standardized reporting. He received the Meritorious Service Award Medal from the Department of Defense. An expert marksman, Ray achieved the Distinguished Pistol Medal, and was the first Supply Officer to receive this gold medal. He received an invitation from the US Amy to try out for the Olympics, but did not participate.

After retiring from the Navy, Ray worked 22 years at the US Government Printing Office as Director of Data Processing. He also served 34 years on the Board of Directors for the Navy Federal Credit Union, including serving as Chairman of the Information Systems Committee.

He is survived by his wife Carolyn, six children and 9 grandchildren.

Ray will be interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Spring, 2016.