Raymond Francis McGuinness

Raymond Francis McGuinness, dad, grandpa, husband and proud Irish Marine was called home on March 1, 2023, but his story will be told for years to come. Ray was born in Cleveland on July 24, 1930, to Bernard and Kathleen McGuinness. He grew up in North Collinwood with his brother and sister, romping in the neighborhood with friends. After Benedictine High, Ray served in the Korean War as a Marine Corps sergeant in the 1st Marine Division. When asked to describe himself, Ray said “Marine.” He was always the first to listen and the last to leave your side. Back home from the war, Ray studied business at John Carroll University, where he developed a lifelong appetite for logic and learning. After working for the New York Central Railroad, Ray built a successful career as a real estate entrepreneur and broker. In 1959, he purchased Webster Realty and worked until he retired at age 90. It’s no exaggeration to say that Ray helped shape the way real estate is done in Lake County. “Don’t just take. Give back,” he advised, contributing tirelessly to the community. He served as President of the Lake County Assn. of Realtors for decades, chairing its Political Affairs Committee. He was on countless boards, including Lakeland Community College (where he also taught real estate courses), Lake County Development Council, Lake County Transit Authority and Wickliffe Library. He was an active member of Kiwanis, the American Legion, VFW and the Marine Corps League. Ray also advocated for fair hiring practices by American companies in Northern Ireland, which became known as the MacBride Principles. In recognition of his civic leadership, Ray received Lakeland’s Community Member Distinguished Service Award, the Ohio Assn. of Community Colleges’ Outstanding Achievement in Trustee Award, Realtor of the Year and the Liberty Bell Award. Humble, humorous and wise, Ray held an unbending sense of right and wrong. He was his own man, full of love. He enjoyed politics, history, traveling, the Browns and chocolate ice cream. He disapproved of rudeness but supported shenanigans—especially the sort that gave a story he could tell again and again. Ray will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 36 years, Susan Tullai-McGuinness, his children, Kathleen, Maureen, Shelly (Hans), Mary Pat, Bear (Jason), Joseph and Jessica “Skeeter,” along with his daughter-in-law, Janele Kampas, and stepchildren, Ron (Sheri) and Doug (Nerina) Mazurek. He delighted in his grandchildren, Gianni, Joey, Fiona, Leo, Nuala, Leonidas, George, Teddy, Orion, Michael, William, Nick, Nathan and Sydney. In death, Ray joins his son, John; granddaughter, Stella; brother, Bernard; sister, Kathleen Knox, her husband (and Ray’s hero) Arthur, longtime business partner and friend Ed Helstein, and his first wife, Clare. The world’s lost a good Marine, but his Irish eyes are smiling on us all. Celebrate Ray’s life Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at St. Gabriel Catholic Church (9925 Johnnycake Ridge Rd, Concord). Visitation starts at 9:30 a.m., followed by mass from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., and then burial at All Souls Cemetery (10366 Chardon Rd, Chardon). Mass will be livestreamed on St. Gabriel’s YouTube channel. (St-Gabriel.org) Instead of flowers, feel free to donate to the McGuinness Endowment Scholarship for Nursing or the Marine Corps League Scholarship at Lakeland Community College. Or help those in need by donating to St. Vincent de Paul at St. Gabriel’s Church of Concord. Arrangements entrusted to the Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 8466 Mentor Ave. Mentor, OH. 44060 Offer condolences at www.brunners.com

Raymond Francis McGuinness

July 24, 1930 - March 1, 2023