Raymond Eugene Chesi

Raymond Eugene “Ray” Chesi, 84, passed away suddenly early on the morning of 9 February 2026 in The Villages, FL, exactly 24 years after his mother passed. Ray was born on 24 January 1942, the third child of Bert Chesi and Rena V (Vercellino) Chesi in Grimes, Iowa. The family called him “Baby Ramy” during his first years. In his early childhood he, his mother, and his siblings moved to Chicago, IL, where his mother managed and owned various restaurants. As a young boy, Ray attended Dakotah Grade School in Dakota Illinois. Ray then attended Mendel Catholic High School in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago. He ran Track during 3 of his high school years and was a 1-yr member of each of the Sanctuary, Spanish, and Mathematics Clubs before graduating in 1960. After high school, Ray joined the US Air Force, where he served in the computer division during the early 1960s. After receiving his honorable discharge from the USAF, Ray accepted a position with International Harvester (Navistar) in Hinsdale IL, where he was a Systems Analyst and worked until retirement in 2006. Following retirement, he assisted with custodial work and maintenance at their church, First Church of Lombard. In the late 2000s, he was called back by Navistar for an extended period to help them translate old COBOL programming into current programming language.

Ray had a unique talent for finding lost or misplaced items, having once found part of Diane’s wedding ring in a park after it was lost. He was an avid bowler for most of his adult life, and also enjoyed skiing and golf. He was a long-time member of the Northern Illinois Rocketry Association, and participated in the YMCA Guides program with his two sons Bryan and Adam. Ray also enjoyed reading, a passion that he shared with both his sister Laura and brother Robert.

Ray met Diane in the early 1970s, when they both lived in different buildings of the International Village complex in Lombard, IL. After dating for some time, they married on 1 August 1981 in Lombard, making their first family home in Roselle, IL. Soon after that, they purchased a house in Lombard, where they raised their two sons and where they stayed until deciding to purchase a home in The Villages, FL early in 2013. This past summer, Ray and Diane made the move into assisted living in The Villages.

Ray is preceded in death by his father Bert, his mother Rena, his sister Teresa Laura Schultz, his brother-in-Law Myron R Schultz Sr, and his nephew Samuel George McBroom Jr. He is survived by his wife of over 44 years, Diane Mulholland of The Villages, FL, and their 2 sons, Bryan (Laura) Chesi of Clovis, CA, and Adam Chesi of Fort Wayne, IN. He also leaves behind his elder brother Robert (Harriet) Chesi of Kerrville, TX, his brother-in-law Thomas “Tom” Mulholland currently of Redondo Beach, CA, and his niece Anita (Howard) McBroom Bernard Huff of Edinburg, TX, in addition to many, many cousins, great nieces, and great nephews located across the United States and abroad.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2026 from 12:00 to 4:00 PM at Dignity Memorial Life Celebration Center, 7134 Powell Road Wildwood, FL.

After Cremation, burial will be at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell Florida.