William J. Rasey, 1885-1962

William J. Rasey was a longtime legislative representative for the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Mr. Rasey was born on February 25, 1885 in Ashtabula, Ohio. In 1903 he became a brakeman for the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad, which later became part of the New York Central Railroad. In 1904, Mr. Rasey was transferred to Toledo, Ohio, and in 1905 he moved to Sandusky, Ohio. In 1905, William J. Rasey joined the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. By 1922, Mr. Rasey served as chairman and state representative of the state legislative committee of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. At his retirement in 1956, William J. Rasey was the oldest man in service to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen in his capacity in the U.S. or Canada. He attended every session of the Ohio legislature in Columbus from 1918 to 1956. He had 52 years with the railroad, and he was one of the oldest railroad passenger conductors at the time of his retirement. On August 8, 1962, William J. Rasey died following a lengthy illness. He was buried next to his first wife, Bernice, at Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. An obituary for William J. Rasey appeared in the August 9, 1962 issue of the Sandusky Register.