She Called Him Raymond

A True Story of Love, Loss, Faith and Healing

By: Ray O'Conor

Narrated by: Ray O'Conor

A letter penned in 1944 uncovers the powerful and heartfelt story of Helen Gregg, the daughter of Irish immigrant parents who grew up in the miseries of Hell's Kitchen during the Great Depression, and Clarence Raymond Stephenson, a young aspiring B-17 pilot raised in the small, struggling city of Ironton, Ohio. Fate brings them together in New York's Central Park in 1942. From the moment their eyes first met, they knew their lives would never be the same.

This captivating and poignant story of their struggles and romance, his exploits as a highly decorated B-17 pilot during World War II, and the tragedy that tears them apart, will inspire you while tugging at your heart. With sensitivity and grace, Ray O'Conor reveals a secret about the dashing and brave young aviator who stole Helen's heart, and he divulges a promise that Helen made to Raymond in the summer of 1942 that she had to keep, no matter how long or how hard it might be to fulfill. Theirs is a compelling story of two ordinary people who led extraordinary lives during the most tumultuous period in history.

©2015 Ray O'Conor (P)2016 Ray O'Conor

Fantastic book,

What a great story, a true story. Having the author narrate the book is a bonus. Heart felt story, i teared up a few times. One of the best books i ever read.

Truth more beautiful than fiction:

I love it when a true story is more heartwarming than a made-up one. This book is a chance to see how ordinary people lived & loved during the Great Depression & WWII. But for all the truth & history that's written in it, it's no less entertaining. It's a romance story, but also has a lot of information about flight training back then, & the different schools a pilot had to go through. Yet the book has no shortage of dramatic moments, & even some humorous ones. Overall, it's full of love & warmth & overcoming the odds. For me, that's what history is all about.

Sit down, start listening & become fascinated

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This was a gentle book. As if you and I sit down to talk to someone and then uncover a fascinating history from the person. We are invited into a life...not famous, not exceptional, not extraordinary--but full of sorrow and life and death and the realities of living in poverty, during a war etc.. I enjoyed the book--- I felt the language was stiff. Am not sure these folks would have talked so formally to each other as represented in the book. This felt very unnatural...for an otherwise sweet story.

What three words best describe Ray O'Conor’s voice?

okay three times

Was She Called Him Raymond worth the listening time?

I always like sitting and listening to the ever fascinating histories of each and every person...and so I enjoyed this.