Raymond Kenneth McDonnell Jr.

Raymond Kenneth McDonnell Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed from this earth on February 9, 2026. Known since childhood as “Red,” he was born on June 13, 1935, in Derby, Connecticut.

Ray attended Fairfield Preparatory School, where he played basketball, before entering Yale University’s School of Engineering. He graduated on June 10, 1957. While at Yale, he met the love of his life, Mary Ann Pczonka, a “Derby girl” on a blind date. Shortly after that first meeting, Red asked Mary Ann to marry him, and they were wed the year of his graduation. The following year, they began their family, raising three sons together: Kenny, John, and David.

Ray began his career in industrial sales and eventually joined IBM, where he worked for many years. His laid-back personality and natural curiosity made him a gifted salesman and helped him build both professional success and a wide circle of lifelong friends. He later accepted a “golden handshake” from IBM and retired in his early fifties.

An avid golfer throughout his life, Ray began as a young caddie at a local course and often played with his father. He played a few years on the Yale golf team and was a lifelong member of the Madison Country Club in Connecticut. He was especially proud of eventually “shooting his age” in his seventies and also had 3 holes in ones. In retirement, Ray and Mary Ann split their time between Madison and Sun City in Bluffton, South Carolina. They golfed together throughout their marriage and were fierce competitors both individually and in mixed couples’ tournaments.

Ray and Mary Ann loved hosting dinner parties and making new friends wherever they lived. Ray also enjoyed being the familiar “we’ll pick you up” driver for Enterprise Car Rental, earning a little extra spending money while meeting new people, a role he cherished until the pandemic in 2020. He will be deeply missed by many in many places.

Ray was predeceased by his parents, Mary (Gorman) McDonnell and Raymond McDonnell Sr.; his baby brother, Thomas; and his in-laws, John and Stephanie Pczonka.

He is survived by his loving wife, Mary Ann; his sons Kenneth (Kathryn), John (Mary Elizabeth), and David (Julianne); his grandchildren Evan (Melissa), Carly Odesina (Olugbenga), Ryan (Kelsey), Erin Seymour (Robert), Maura Williams (Matthew), Sean (Kayla), and Nicole McDonnell; and his great-grandchildren Julius, Thomas, and Grace Odesina; Hannah McDonnell; Ellie and Quinn Seymour; and Savannah McDonnell.

Ray will be laid to rest in Madison, Connecticut, where a Celebration of Life Mass will be held later this summer.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly invites donations to the following Dementia Alliance of North Carolina and Transitions Life Care:

https://www.dementiasociety.org/donate

https://www.transitionslifecare.org/donate/