Distinctly Montana Magazine

30 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 6 2019, and during his first term brought his buddy Raynor into the Capitol to join him on the House floor during a session, an extremely rare honor. After he introduced the war hero to the legislative body, Greef's wife, Sharon, accompanied Raynor to the Cathedral of St. Helena where he met with the bishop and some members of the diocese. It was then that Raynor revealed to the group that the old Helena legend was true. It was he who had flown his plane between the spires in 1945. He related the story to a docent, who typed it up and shared it with the diocese. By then Raynor was pushing 90, and had led a remarkable life worthy of a Hollywood movie. Even before the cathedral stunt, Raynor had pulled off a couple of bad-boy capers that should have gotten him grounded. In 1943, he flew his plane under- neath the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. On New Year's Day in 1944, he buzzed the Rose Bowl. During the game. After leaving the Air Force he became the flight team director for Air Force One, one of the most prestigious assignments in the military. Raynor was in charge of the detail that flew Presi- dent Kennedy's Boeing 707 to Dallas on that fateful November day in 1963. Air Force One returned to Washington the next day carrying JFK's body while Lyndon Johnson was aboard, being sworn in as President. After retiring, Raynor had cultivated a large circle of friends in the Bitterroot, and met up with his buddies nearly every morn- ing at Glen's Café for coffee and chatter. He was by all accounts a witty, larger-than-life character, an irresistible raconteur who loved to regale people with his outlandish stories from his war- time exploits, his post-war adventures, and his world travels. One of his four sons, Gary, recalled his brother Ken being born in Japan. "Dad wanted to have the phrase 'Made in Japan' tat- tooed on Ken's butt," he says. "He was dead serious." Fortu- nately for Ken, Gladys put the kibosh on that idea. Gary swears his dad would have gone through with it. Raynor was a man of faith, active in his church right up to the end. Online you can find a YouTube video of Raynor playing some lively harmonica during a church function at age 93. He THE TWO GOLD CROSSES THAT TOP THE SPIRES ARE 60 FEET APART, AND THE P-51 MUSTANG HAS A WINGSPAN OF 37 FEET

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