Raymond Henry Keyes

Born August 7, 1921

Deceased October 25, 2016

An obituary is defined as a notice of death of someone who has recently passed.   It usually starts off with cause of death and those that they are close to who have either died previously or have survived the deceased.   In this instance, we have decided to not give notice of his death but give notice of a life well lead.   Ray Keyes passed away peacefully on October 25, 2016 but instead of mourning his death, we should celebrate his 95 years on this planet.

He was born in Ashtabula County to Raymond W. Keyes and Emmalyne A. Keyes (Wood) on August 7, 1921.   He was the oldest of ten children.  One sister, Virginia, died in infancy and two other siblings, Ralph and Grace only recently passed away.   His other brothers, George and William as well as his sisters Gloria, Shirley, Mary Lou and Genevieve all continue to lead active lives.

During his formative years in the late 1920's and 1930's the Great Depression raged on in this country and he would often tell stories of moving back and forth from Ohio to Florida as his father various construction jobs.   He would also tell stories of the hardships they endured and how they had to improvise as a family to survive and thrive by making a tractor out of a car or making paint out of used motor oil and lime.  These stories shaped his behavior for his entire life, as he would never throw anything away because he could always see a possible need for a random bolt or screw or even an old coffee can.   We have come to appreciate this collection of miscellaneous parts he accumulated over the years and as we go through the collection, it is amazing how we can recall a story associated with some old drift wood he found on the beach or old tools that he would fix up and use.

After the Depression ended World War II began and like everyone else from that generation, he enlisted in the military to serve his country.   He served from December 10, 1942 to December 21, 1945 as a pilot in the US Navy aboard the USS Shamrock Bay.  He flew almost 100 missions and saw action in several key battles in the Pacific and was even awarded six Air Medals and one Distinguished Flying Cross.

After his discharge from the Navy he followed in his father's footsteps and started a career in construction as a General Contractor and owner of Keyes Construction.   He built many homes and buildings in Northeast Ohio but none more important than a gas station he not only built but also designed in the shape of a flying saucer named Gas-n-Go.   This gas station would stand at one of the busiest intersections in Ashtabula for many decades and served as a marker of the change of seasons for the residents as they would see Santa go up in the space ship around Christmas and a flying pumpkin around Halloween.  In fact, even ET made an appearance in the glass dome.  The station also served as a key directional component to many a confused tourist as they were told to go to the flying saucer and take a right to get where they needed to go.

Ray married Nancy Keyes (Mellin) on March 11, 1967 and they had two children, Keith Keyes and Kyra Keyes-Starcher.   He also has six grandchildren, Logan, Hunter, Aspen and Lincoln Keyes, Olivia Severino and Alexandra Starcher.

There will be no funeral or calling hours because Ray found them just too depressing.  Instead we ask all of you to enjoy the day, have some fun and celebrate a life well lead.   Ray's ashes will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia with full Military Honors at a later date.   Donations can be made to the Keyes family at Guerriero Funeral Home located at 1550 West 19th Street, Ashtabula, OH  44004.  The money will be used for the education of underprivileged children.