Edgar Frank Raines was born on May 2, 1915, in O'Fallon, Illinois,
to Edgar Allen and Iva Dolores (Jacobs) Raines. In 1918 the family moved to Murphysboro when Mr. Raines took a job as foreman with the Murphysboro Daily Independent. Six years later he took a similar position with the Carbondale Free Press and moved his family to Carbondale. Edgar, known as Ed to his friends, attended public schools in both towns and graduated from Carbondale Community High School in 1934. He also apprenticed as a printer under his father, who had opened the Raines Printing Service in Carbondale in 1930. With the Great Depression just beginning, this was not the best time to open a new business, and family finances remained precarious for several years. Even after taking full time employment at the Kroger Company's regional warehouse, Ed continued to work nights and weekends for his father.

In 1938 he left home for Kansas City, Missouri. He no sooner found employment than he received word that his father had suffered a heart attack and died. Returning home, he took a job with the Martin Oil Company of Carbondale. For a time he was the sole support of his mother and two brothers. This was a searing experience that shaped his outlook for the remainder of his life. After marrying Mary Bernice Mohlenbrock on June 20, 1941, he moved to Murphysboro. He worked for the McCann Grocery Company and then, beginning in 1944, the Truax Tier Coal Company, first as a payroll clerk and then as a warehouse clerk, rising to the position of warehouse supervisor. He left the mine in late 1957.

He had always maintained his membership in the International Typographical Union since his apprenticeship. In early 1958 he was able to pick up part time work at the Southern Illinoisan which led to a full time job as a printer. He retired in 1980.

His wife Mary suffered a stroke in 1976 and was a semi-invalid thereafter. Much of the rest of his life was devoted to her care. In 2001 deteriorating health caused her to enter the Rehab and Care Center of Jackson County. The following year a series of small strokes forced him to join her there. He died on Thursday, February 8, 2007.

An avid baseball fan, Ed followed the fortunes of the St. Louis Cardinals until the team traded his boyhood idol, Rogers Hornsby. Thereafter, he transferred his loyalty to the St. Louis Browns, and, when that club left for Baltimore, the Chicago Cubs. He also loved to golf. One of the great disappointments of his old age was when his knees would no longer allow him to walk around a golf course.

Funeral services will be 11 am Wednesday February 14, 2007 at Crawshaw Funeral Home in Murphysboro with Rev. Richard Lewis of the United Methodist Church officiating, burial will follow at Pleasant Grove Memorial Park near Murphysboro. Visitation will be 4 to 7 pm Tuesday February 13, 2007 at Crawshaw Funeral Home. Memorials are encouraged and may be made to United Methodist Church. Survivors include two sons and daughter in laws; Edgar F. Jr. and Rebecca Raines of Alexandria, VA, and Richard Dean and Katherine Raines of Houston, TX. Three grandchildren; Edgar Jacob, Stephanie Lynn and Mary Elizabeth Raines and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents and wife he was preceded in death by three brothers, George William, Robert Ross (who died in infancy), and Donald Ivan Raines