Raymond Holmes Malone, Jr.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years Margaret “Peggy” (nee Veihmeyer), along with his daughter, Tara (G.R.) Kearney of Glenview, IL; and grandchildren Liam, Kane, Anne, and Mary. 

Ray was born to Raymond Holmes Malone and Marguerite Amelia Huvelle Malone and raised with his four siblings in Freeport on Long Island, NY. Growing up just minutes from the Atlantic Ocean and the Great South Bay, Ray loved the water, reveled in all manners of seafood, and served as a lifeguard for countless summers. To his final days, Ray carried with him vestiges of his Long Island roots: his accent and his love of the New York Mets.

Ray graduated from St Agnes High School in Rockville Center and attended the University of Dayton, where he completed the ROTC program and most importantly, met the love of his life, Peggy. He later earned a masters in public administration from Long Island University. 

Ray and Peggy married on August 18, 1973, and began their life together on Long Island. Their world broadened when Ray’s career in international banking with Citibank led them to Athens, Greece; Dubai, U.A.E.; Helsinki, Finland; and Seoul, South Korea. As an independent banking consultant, Ray continued his international travel in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom and Italy.

While Ray’s consulting travels continued, he returned with his family to Long Island in 1990 and settled in Cold Spring Harbor, where he and Peggy lived for nearly 30 years. The couple moved to Wilmington in 2019. 

From Athens to Milan, from New York to North Carolina, Ray viewed every place as an opportunity to explore and learn. Whether it was playing cricket – quite a challenge for a man who lived and breathed baseball – embracing quiz nights at the local British pub or fermenting his own wine, Ray created community and lasting friendships wherever he went.

Ray’s vibrant spirit was matched only by his sense of humor. His laughter was contagious and his penchant for an old story in need of retelling infamous. This humor served him well when he demonstrated great courage taking up the game of golf at the age of 70.

Ray’s most treasured roles were those of husband, father, grandfather, son, and brother. He delighted in traveling to Cooperstown, NY to watch his grandsons play baseball, freezing through ice hockey games from the stands, watching his granddaughters perform at ice skating shows and then hustling to their soccer games. 

For Liam, Kane, Anne and Mary, their dear “Pop” will be remembered for his morning forays for donuts, his penchant for bad jokes and his belief that dessert was best served early and often.

A funeral mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday, August 21 at St. Therese Catholic Church in Wrightsville Beach with visitation at 10 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Friends of T.J. Foundation located at c/o Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724. The Foundation honors a dear family friend who died of rhabdomyo sarcoma and is dedicated to finding a cure for the disease.