Thomas W. Rayer | Peco supervisor, 82

Thomas W. Rayer, 82, of Newtown Square, a retired Peco supervisor, died Tuesday of complications from asbestosis at Springfield Hospital.

Mr. Rayer started out as a lineman for what was then Philadelphia Electric Co. After he fell and broke his back, he switched to the department that buried utility lines. He retired from his Peco career of more than 40 years as an underground supervisor for its Main Line Division in Ardmore.

Mr. Rayer graduated from Southeast Catholic High School, now St. John Neumann High School, in Philadelphia. During World War II, he served in the Navy in the Pacific aboard the destroyer USS Evans. He and his shipmates kept the Evans afloat after it was struck by four kamikaze planes.

Mr. Rayer married Mary Daly in 1942 while home on leave. The couple raised eight children in Swarthmorewood in Ridley Township. In the 1950s, he helped found the Swarthmorewood Athletic Association, which sponsors youth sports leagues. The association's main baseball field is named for him.

He enjoyed summers with his family in Avalon.

Mr. Rayer is survived by sons Thomas Jr., David, John, James, Kevin and Paul; daughters Jane Walsh and Mary Yanonis; two brothers; his longtime companion, Nancy Pierce; 16 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. His wife died in 2001.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. today at St. Anastasia Roman Catholic Church, 3301 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square. Friends may call from 8:30 to 10:15 a.m. at Donohue Funeral Home, 3300 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square. Burial will be in SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Marple Township.