Raymond Barkett

Beloved husband of 55 years to Lorraine; father to Paul (Eric), Renee (Cameron) and Nicole (David); grandfather to Taylor, Keaton and Olivia; brother to Thomas, Ronald and Richard (Christine). Uncle to Dana (Khrystsina), Katie (Sven) and Great Uncle to Emma and Alessandra.

Preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Mary Barkett, and his brother, George Lanny Barkett.

Ray was born on December 21, 1937, in Miami, FL to Syrian American parents. Through their large family, church, and grocery business, they taught Ray and his brothers the importance of family, faith in God and hard work. These same values were paramount for Ray and Lorraine as they raised their own children.

Ray graduated from Miami Senior High school where he excelled on the Debate Team. He then earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Florida where he served as president of his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi. Born and raised in Miami and educated in Gainesville, Ray loved college sports but would never divulge his favorite- his loyalty to the Canes or Gators was a constant family debate.

Professionally, his passion was Real Estate and his second family was The Keyes Company, where he started in 1968. Throughout his more than 50-year career with Keyes, Ray sold residential and commercial real estate but as a managing broker, his focus was recruiting, training, and mentoring real estate professionals. He was a leader in the real estate community, serving as President of the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale and as a Director of both the Florida Association of Realtors and National Association of Realtors.   

Ray was a lifelong member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Miami where he was baptized, married Lorraine, and raised their children. Through the years he served on the Cathedral Chapter in many capacities including Warden.

Due to these extraordinary times, there will be a graveside service at Woodlawn Cemetery North, 3260 SW 8th Street, Miami on Wednesday, May 20th at 12 p.m.  The family hopes to host a memorial service as soon as those who knew and loved Ray can safely gather together.

In lieu of Flowers, donations can be made to the Jackson Health Foundation/Miami Transplant Institute http://jacksonhealthfoundation.org/donate, The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation https://nationalpcf.org/donate/or Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Miami, FLhttps://www.trinitymiami.org/online_giving.