Raymond Day

RAYMOND DAY

Cedar Rapids

Raymond "Ray" E. Day, 65, of Naples, Fla., formerly of Cedar Rapids and Mount Zion, Ill., died Saturday, May 9, 2015, at Avow Hospice of complications from acute pancreatitis. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 12, at Hammock Bay Country Club, Naples, Fla. All friends and neighbors are welcome to attend. A visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 14, at Moran and Goebel Funeral Home, 2801 N. Monroe St., Decatur, Ill. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Following the services, there will be a private burial at Traughber Cemetery in Moweaqua, Ill. All friends are invited to attend a reception at the Country Club of Decatur beginning at 2 p.m. Friday.

Ray was born on Jan. 27, 1950, in Decatur, Ill., to Raymond "Mike" Day and Kathryn (Wright) Day. Ray attended Moweaqua High School and graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in economics. Ray was a member of the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity. After college, Ray worked for Kimberly Clark before joining ADM in 1976. In 1980, while working at ADM, Ray met Gina Schuerman. They were married on Friday, March 13, 1981. The two worked together on the ADM trading floor for four more years before moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1985. They lived and worked in Cedar Rapids for 20 years and raised their three kids, Michael (29), Christopher (27) and Jessica (25).

In 2004, Ray and his family moved back to ADM's Decatur location where he held the title of vice president of Eastern Grain Group. He oversaw the activities of 45 country and terminal grain facilities in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. In addition, Ray served on the board of directors for the National Grain and Feed Country Elevator Committee. He was also on the board of directors for the ADM/Weldon Joint Venture. Ray retired in January 2013 at the age of 63 and moved to Naples, Fla., full time.

Ray is survived by his wife of 34 years, Gina (Schuerman) Day of Naples, Fla.; his children, Michael Day of Chicago, Christopher Day of Chicago and Jessica Day of Nashville, Tenn.; sister, Rhonda (Day) Heller and husband Jerry Heller of The Villages, Fla.; nephew, Jeremy Heller of Polo, Ill.; niece, Jennifer (Heller) and husband Matt Woodhouse; and great-nephews, Jordan and Jase Woodhouse of Cedar Rapids.

Ray was proceeded in death by Raymond "Mike" and Kathryn Day.

Ray was one of the good guys. Ray loved his wife and was so proud of his family. He was a fair boss and went out of his way to make sure the people who worked for him were in the right location and the right job. Ray trained and mentored hundreds of people because he wanted people to be successful in both their personal and professional lives. Ray was so proud of Mike, Chris and Jess for their achievements, academically and athletically. Ray coached numerous teams over the years and could still recount a game or a play from 20 years ago. Ray loved playing softball, occasionally even pointing to where his home runs were going to land. In his 30s, his passion switched to golf. He was a student of the game and was always practicing at Hammock Bay or The Rookery, trying to perfect his game. Ray loved to travel with Gina and play golf all over the U.S. Even though he had only been retired for two years, it was a great two years – golfing, biking, exercising, traveling and spending time with his kids or numerous friends brought Ray much happiness. He was a quiet man, but a terrific speaker when called upon, and Ray had a wicked sense of humor. His smile will be missed by all.

The family would like to thank the staffs of Physicians Regional Hospital at Collier, Brookdale Rehabilitation Center, NCH North Hospital and Avow Hospice. A special heartfelt thanks goes out to Dr. Russell Weintraub and Dr. David Lamon for never giving up on Ray. From February 13 until May 10, both doctors fought for Ray and we appreciate it. So many dedicated people cared for Ray and are now considered part of the family. We are forever grateful.

The family has asked that memorials be given in Ray's name to either Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 153 Cherry Hill Rd. NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405; or The First Tee Golf Program of Naples/Collier, 1370 Creekside Blvd., Naples, FL 34108.