Washburn, a member of the Yuchi Tribe, died at his home in Oklahoma City, and funeral services were held for him Friday in Bristow, Oklahoma, The Associated Press reported.
Washburn worked the snack bar on the fourth floor of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building for 32 years, KOKI-TV reported. He was there on April 19, 1995, when a truck bomb exploded through the structure, killing 168 people.
Four customers and an employee were in the snack bar when the blast occurred.
“In this darkest time, the love from this blind man’s heart illuminated the darkness. Love drove Raymond Washburn to get those people out. Love got him to his feet and said, ‘come on I’ve got you.’” https://t.co/vttEzCw84O
“I had the advantage over them because not being able to see,” Washburn said in an interview. “I felt like that you know, this is one time that you know you want to try to help somebody as much as you can. I knew how to get out. I just didn’t know what was going to be in our way.”
According to his obituary, Washburn graduated from the Oklahoma School for the blind in Muskogee and was a state wrestling champion. He was buried Friday, according to the obitiuary.
“His whole life, it’s like the Lord prepared him for that moment,” Washburn’s friend, Princella Smith, told KOKI. “What we would deem his disability, and I believe it’s I guess still called a disability, ended up being his strength because he could use his sense of direction to get them out,” Smith said.
Washburn did not need sight to guide others to safety that day.
“In this darkest time, the love from this blind man’s heart illuminated the darkness,” Smith said. “Love drove Raymond Washburn to get those people out. Love got him to his feet and said, ‘come on I’ve got you.’”
“We remember the good times and remember the good people, and Raymond was one of those,” Richard Williams, a survivor of the explosion, told KOKI.
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Oklahoma City bombing FILE-- In this April 19, 1995, file photo, rescue workers stand in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building following an explosion in downtown Oklahoma City. One hundred sixty-eight people died as a result of the explosion. The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum scaled back its plans for a 25th anniversary remembrance amid the coronavirus outbreak and will instead offer a recorded, one-hour television program that includes the reading of the names of the 168 people killed in the bombing followed by 168 seconds of silence. (AP Photo/David Longstreath, File) (David Longstreath/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing FILE - In this April 24, 1995 file photo, an Oklahoma City police car decorated with the words, "We will never forget," and a small American flag sits near the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The blast killed 168 people _ including 19 children _ injured hundreds more and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to structures and vehicles in the downtown area. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) (Rick Bowmer/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing A mounted police officer approaches a billboard proclaiming support for Oklahoma City as he patrols through the command center near the bombed-out shell of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, April 28, 1995. (AP Photo/Lacy Atkins) (Lacy Atkins/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing Rescue workers at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, lean out over the top floor of the building to assess damage from last week's deadly car bombing, April 27, 1995. Crews found 11 more bodies in "the pit" area of the pancaked floors on the lower level. The death toll has reached 110, as rescue workers continue to search for more victims. (AP Photo/Mike Wyke) (Mike Wyke/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing Emergency workers search through twisted wreckage at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, April 21, 1995. Attorney General Janet Reno announced in Washington the arrest in Perry, Okla., of suspect Timothy McVeigh in connection with the car bomb that ripped through the nine-story federal building. A second suspect, Terry Nichols, surrendered later in the afternoon in Herrington, Kansas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (David J. Philllip/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing A new banner is hung from the fence surrounding the compound where search and rescue volunteers and workers station themselves near the federal building in downtown Oklahoma City, April 27, 1995. (AP Photo/Lacy Atkins) (Lacy Atkins/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing FILE - In this April 20, 1995 file photo, rescue crews work together as they climb over areas of debris at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, searching for victims of the deadly car bombing. The blast killed 168 people _ including 19 children _ injured hundreds more and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to structures and vehicles in the downtown area. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip,Pool) (DAVID PHILLIP/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing Sharlotte Campbell, right, holds Charlie, a spider monkey, in Oklahoma City, April 24, 1995. The monkey is used in therapy for those grieving the loss of family and friends in the Oklahoma City car bombing of April 19. (AP Photo/Lacy Atkins) (Lacy Atkins/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing FILE - In this April 19, 1995, aerial file photo, the north side of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City is pictured after an explosion that killed 168 people and injured hundreds. The attack on the U.S. Capitol by an angry mob of President Donald Trump's supporters shocked many Americans who thought such a violent assault by their fellow countrymen wasn't possible. But Timothy McVeigh's hatred of the federal government led him to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building over 25 years earlier, on April 19, 1995, and killed 168 people. (AP Photo/File) (AP)
Oklahoma City bombing Rescue workers leave the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, April 24, 1995, as their shift ends. Rescue efforts continue in the nine-story building which was bombed on April 19. At least 83 people were killed in the explosion. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) (Rick Bowmer/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing Keith Rupe, right, gives Donna Newton a hug as they look at the destruction from April 19 in downtown Oklahoma City, April 25, 1995. Several blocks in the city sustained damage in the blast. Rescue workers continue to search the federal building for victims. (AP Photo/Lacy Atkins) (Lacy Atkins/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing Work continues during the night by workers removing the rubble and searching for victims in the bombed-out Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, April 29, 1995, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter) (J. Pat Carter/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing FILE - This April 21, 1995 file photo shows the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, the day after a car bomb exploded. "Oklahoma City," a documentary airing on public television stations next week, traces a decade-long timeline linking the development of far-right extremist groups to Timothy McVeigh’s failed attempt to trigger a second American Revolution with the bombing of the federal building at Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/David Glass, File) (DAVID GLASS/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing Debris from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building is piled a half-block away from its Oklahoma City location, April 27, 1995. (AP Photo/Pool/Beth A. Keiser) (Beth A. Keiser/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing Annie Lerum of Santa Rosa, Calif., checks on search and rescue dog, Spice, April 21, 1995, at a compounds near the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. Lerum and Spice are among the search and rescue teams dealing with the aftermath of Wednesday's car bombing. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) (Mark Humphrey/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing FILE - In this April 20, 1995 file photo, The Alfred Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City is the center of attention as rescue workers continue digging through the rubble after the deadly car bombing. The blast killed 168 people _ including 19 children _ injured hundreds more and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to structures and vehicles in the downtown area. (AP Photo/J.Pat Carter) (J PAT CARTER/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing FILE - In this April 19, 1995 file photo, Federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and FBI agents survey the damage to the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The blast killed 168 people _ including 19 children _ injured hundreds more and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to structures and vehicles in the downtown area. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer,File) (RICK BOWMER/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing FILE - In this April 21, 1995 file photo, Oklahoma City bombing suspect Timothy McVeigh is escorted by law enforcement officials from the Noble County Courthouse in Perry, Okla. Domestic terrorism has historically been applied to violent anti-government extremists such as McVeigh, who was executed for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. (AP Photo/David Longstreath, File) (David Longstreath/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing Terry Nichols, wearing a bullet-proof vest, is escorted by U.S. marshals as he leaves the federal courthouse in Wichita, Kansas, April 26, 1995. U.S. District Judge Monti Belot granted an order to transfer Nichols to Oklahoma City as a material witness in the bombing case, but then stayed the order to allow the defense attorneys to appeal. (AP Photo/Steve Rasmussen) (Steve Rasmussen/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing FILE - In this June 8, 2001 file photo, Terry Foster of Detroit stands in front of a wall of photographs at the Oklahoma City National Memorial Center. The photos are of the 168 victims who died in the Oklahoma City bombing. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch) (LAURA RAUCH/AP)
Oklahoma City bombing FILE - In this Sunday, April 23, 1995 file photo, Aren Almon of Oklahoma City, clutches a teddy bear as she is greeted by President Bill Clinton in Oklahoma City, Okla., after a prayer service for the victims of Wednesday's deadly car bomb attack in downtown Oklahoma City. Almon's 1-year old daughter, Baylee, was killed in the attack. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (Pat Sullivan/AP)
