Raymond Noel Maurer was born on November 26, 1940, to Irene Behrendt Maurer and her husband, Francis. He peacefully passed from this life, surrounded by family, at the age of 85, after complications from Cerebrovascular disease, dementia, and diabetes on Sunday, May 24, 2026.
Ray was welcomed into heaven by his Lord and Savior, Jesus, his granddaughter, Hannah Lee, and many other family and friends.
He grew up in Allen Park, Michigan, joining his older siblings Jerry and Donna. His sisters Diane, Tina, and Patsy will join them later. He graduated from Melvindale High School in 1959 and enjoyed playing many sports, especially baseball. He joined the Army in 1960. While stationed in Alaska, he played baseball and installed and repaired telephone lines. He also enjoyed time in France while in the Army until 1962. When he returned home, he asked his dad if he could get him a job at the Ford Rouge Plant. His dad encouraged him to get a college education.
Ray studied auto design at a community college, worked for Goddard & Goddard for three years, and then spent 31 years at the Ford Motor Company. He finished his bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, in 2001. Ray was one of the first to test pilot and help design the workings of ProEngineer for Ford. This program became one of the largest CAD programs, which is still used by Ford today. He was really proud of this and his part in a couple of patents for Ford. After his retirement, he continued designing products for his son, David, drawing on his vast knowledge of automotive design from his time at Ford.
Ray married Gloria Carli in 1964. Her family lived five blocks away. They soon welcomed a daughter, Shelley, followed by sons Raymond and David. Part of Ray’s grief work after the loss of his dad was painting their home in Saline, before they moved there in 1977. Moving to ten acres and getting horses was the fulfillment of a dream for the entire family. Ray and Gloria enjoyed retirement in Florida for 20 years. They lived in Seminole and in Bradenton for four years before moving back to Michigan.
Faith was really important to Ray. After coming to Christ more personally through a Bible study at work, Ray became involved in evangelism at many of the churches they attended, starting with Milan Free Methodist Church. He was very vocal about his faith. After helping their pastor with hospital visits and funerals in Florida, Ray was ordained by the Pathways Community Church in Largo. He also helped as a Chaplain for the Honor Guard at numerous funerals through the Madeira Beach American Legion. Ray and Gloria also enjoyed their time at Bayside Community Church in Bradenton, FL, and Cornerstone Community Church in Haslett, MI, where they could hear their granddaughter sing.
Over the course of 62 years, they built a beautiful family with three children: Shelley (Dave) Lee, Ray (Katrina) Maurer, and David (Karmen) Maurer. 12 grandchildren: Trevor (Hannah N) Lee, Hannah R Lee, Mitchell (Elizabeth) Lee, Westley (Sher) Lee, Dexter (Katherine) Lee, Sydney Maurer, Grace (Ben) Lack, Quinn Maurer, Jeremiah (Emma) Maurer, Jackson Maurer, Nolan Maurer, and Ethan Maurer. 12 great-grandchildren: Berkeley Lee, Abram Lee, Finley Lee, Reese Lee, Stevie Lee, Felix Lee, Asher Lack, Augustus Lee, Phoebe Lack, Ezra Lee, Elias Lack, and one more due in August.
Ray’s greatest love was his family and friends. In 2017, when Gloria had a stroke, Ray started walking many laps in the pool with her to encourage her recovery. Ray and Gloria flew everyone to Florida to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. He brought Raymond and Shelley to many horse shows and enjoyed many sporting events, and 4-H shows with his kids and grandkids. He and Gloria enjoyed traveling to many places, and enjoyed many good meals with family, friends, and neighbors. He also enjoyed softball and golf leagues, and his retirement job as a golf ranger. They enjoyed hosting family and friends for food, and in their later years, meeting at restaurants. He enjoyed working on old cars and taught many how to fix things. He was very active, outgoing, and positive until his last few years.
As a grandpa, Ray loved having fun, motivating others, dancing, laughing, and watching sports. When the grandkids came to Florida, he loved swimming with them at the pool or the beach. He enjoyed watching funny movies with them, playing Uno, showing Grandma love, and making them laugh. He was always asking the grandkids about their favorite sports team and would follow it on TV so he could talk about it with them. He loved capturing many photos and videos of his grandchildren, sharing stories, and eating lots of ice cream. So much ice cream!
We wish to thank the staff of Chelsea Retirement Community, Our Family Friend Home Care, Ann Arbor VA, Arbor Hospice, and Cole Funeral Chapel for their extra care in the past few months. A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date, and his ashes will be interred at the Fort Custer National Cemetery near Battle Creek, MI.
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