Dr. Joseph Carl Raque

DR. CARL JOSEPH RAQUE, 77, of Little Rock passed away Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015. He has left an undeniable legacy that began at his birth on Thursday, March 31, 1938. His legacy is far and wide leaving many family and friends and others that he touched with his loving heart and charismatic personality. In Dr. Raque's most recent memories he enjoyed his life with the love of his life, Ann. They enjoyed a life together surrounded by many family and friends. He always referred to his loving wife as his best friend. Even though distance kept them from seeing each other as often as they would have liked, Dr. Raque enjoyed his two daughters Ranee and Cherie and their families. Dr. Raque did not shy away from technology advances and texted his daughters daily to find out about the last tennis match or school activity. In 1965, Dr. Raque received his medical degree at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. For the next three years he served as an Army General Medical Officer at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, before a tour of duty in Vietnam. With service behind him, Dr. Raque completed his residency at the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia. During his second year, he received a National Institute of Health Fellowship, and spent the next two years studying and working on research under respected Dermatologist Walter B. Shelley M.D., Ph. D. For a young doctor and his wife searching for a place to call home, Little Rock was their first choice. He and his wife, Ann, and their two young daughters moved to the city, and Dr. Raque, who was born and raised in Louisville, Ky., said "It's a decision I have never regretted." Dr. Raque began his career when he joined the Little Rock Dermatology Clinic in 1971, and accepted a voluntary faculty appointment at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at Little Rock in the Department of Dermatology. In 1974 Dr. Raque completed his graduate study in Dermatopathology. Nine years later, Dr. Raque started his own practice, the Arkansas Dermatology Clinic, P.A., where for 39 years he continued his dedication to provide the highest level of dermatological care for his patients. Throughout his years of practicing, Dr. Raque was always generous with his time and dedication to personalized care. His patients have always talked about his generosity with his time and the care that he provided them. Not surprisingly, many patients and their families became friends of Dr. Raque and his family. Dr. Raque enjoyed his time away from the office with family and friends hunting, fishing and boating. He also loved spending time with and training his hunting dogs. Dr. Raque was active in his church, participating through the years as an usher, and in the Knights of Columbus. Dr. Raque was also a member of Pleasant Valley Country Club and loved playing 18 holes of golf and especially the fellowship on the 19th hole. He was a Charter Member of the Table of Knowledge, a group of men that gathered for lunch at Pleasant Valley Country Club. Their motto was "Never talk about Politics", but they always ended up talking about politics, and Dr. Raque usually led those discussions. Dr. Raque was preceded in death by his parents, John Carl and Margaret Raque and is survived by his wife of 52 years, Ann and their two daughters, Ranee (Reno) Aprile of Sydney, Australia and Cherie (Kevin) DiDio of Grosse Pointe, Mich. He is also survived by siblings Carole (Tom) Caras, Maurite (Joe) Scanlan, Lucian (Pam) Raque, and David (Susan) Raque and his grandchildren Reno, Marcus, Hannah, Mia and Audrey. Dr. Raque lived life on his own terms with a deep sense of faith, patriotism and love of family. His values live on in those he loved and impacted. A Vigil service will be held on Monday, November 30th at 7 p.m. at Christ the King Church, 4000 N. Rodney Parham Drive. Mass of Christian Burial celebrating the life of Dr. Carl Joseph Raque will be held Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015 at 1 p.m. at Christ the King Church. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Christ the King Catholic Church or a charity of your choice. Online guestbook: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/chenal.