Raymond T. Keyes, P.E., a member of the Xavier Class of 1937 and the first Lay Chairman of the Xavier Board of Trustees, died peacefully at 5:30 AM Sunday morning, July 13, 2014.

Raymond was born on March 28, 1921, the son of William F. and Eunice (Warken) Keyes. He attended Holy Spirit School in the Bronx. He graduated from Xavier High School in June, 1937 and after a year of working in business, matriculated at Manhattan College where he graduated with a degree in Engineering. In a long business career, he formed Raymond Keyes Associates,
Inc., an engineering firm that specialized in transportation projects. He was a member of the Professional Engineers of America.

Ray has been an involved alumnus since his graduation. He has been a generous financial supporter for the 32 consecutive years since the development program was established. Because of his business acumen and his devotion to Xavier, Rev. Patrick Sullivan, S.J. the President of Xavier High School, chose Ray to be the first Chairman of the newly established Board of Trustees with its inception in 1987. On October 6, 1987, Xavier High School inducted the new Board of Trustees in a ceremony administered by New York State Supreme Court Justice Robert Stolarik ’47. Ray was then elected as the first lay Board Chairman and in his acceptance remarks state, “I consider being the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Xavier High School as the greatest single honor paid me in my lifetime. I look forward with keen pleasure to serving with an outstanding group of Trustees, guided by an august Board of Members.” Ray was inducted into the Xavier High School Hall of Fame in November 1993.

Joe Gorski, Xavier’s Vice President for Advancement, remarked “that Ray was a true ‘Son of Xavier,’ a gentleman of great honesty and integrity in his business and personal relationships, a man who spent so much time serving others. He made everyone he came in contact with feel welcome and comfortable in his presence.”

Ray leaves his wife Georgina, four children and ten grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren. He was predeceased by a daughter Susan Carlsen and his brother Alan P. Keyes ’46.

There will be a Memorial Mass for Ray at St. William Church, 601 Seagate Dr, Naples, FL 34103 at 10:00AM on Thursday July 17, 2014.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Raymond Keyes, P.E. '37 Scholarship, Xavier High School, 30 West 16th, New York, NY 10011 or online.