Raoul M. Ilaw

Raoul M. Ilaw, 85 years old, died Sunday, May 24, 2015 at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia with his loving wife Barbara L. Culmer-Ilaw by his side.

Raoul was born August 18, 1929 in New York City to Severino and Inez Ilaw.

Raoul is survived by his wife Barbara of twenty-two years; his children Marianne Ilaw, Raoul Daryl Ilaw Leslie, Karen C. Phillips Charles, Sean M. Culmer Latonja; grandchildren Lindsay Ilaw, Morgan Ilaw and Charles E. Phillips III and a host of relatives and friends throughout the U.S. and the Philippines. Gregory Ilaw predeceased his father.

Raoul loved life and lived it to it’s fullest. He had a passion for music, martinis, baseball and occupational safety and health. He joined the U.S. Air Force at the young age of sixteen with a doctored birth certificate. He served his country in Iwo Jima. In his spare time, he was a military base DJ. After being discharged from the U.S. Air Force , Raoul served as a reservist in the US Marines. His career continued with Lockheed Aircraft Service as an aircraft electrician and test pilot. He later joined the Federal Agency of Occupational Health and Safety OSHA where he retired after an extensive career as a regional director covering multiple states and countries.

Upon retiring from the federal government, Raoul became a Safety and Health consultant with clients throughout the U.S. In addition, he worked with FEMA as a Disaster Relief Officer. His extensive expertise was requested during the World Trade Center disaster.

Raoul was one of the founding members of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia and held the elected office of First Vice President. In addition, Raoul was selected as the Consumer Member of the Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners and served a term under Secretary of State Cathy Cox. Governor Barnes nominated him to the Georgia Department of Labor’s Workforce Investment Board. He was a graduate of Adelphi University.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, June 1st at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church Atlanta. The family requests in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the American Cancer Society.