Raymond C. Dee, of Naples, Florida, And Sag Harbor Dies January 26

Raymond C. Dee, of Naples, Florida, and Sag Harbor, died at home on January 26 from complications of myelodysplastic syndrome. He was 78.

He was the son of the late Coleman F. and Patricia (nee Sheridan) Dee

Mr. Dee was born on April 6, 1942 in the Bronx, and attended St. Bonaventure University in Olean, New York, where he graduated in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

He was commissioned into the United States Army as a 2nd lieutenant from the SBU ROTC program and left service after five years in 1968 with the rank of captain. Mr. Dee earned his MBA from Loyola University in Chicago in 1972, and was named trustee emeritus upon his departure from the St. Bonaventure University Board of Trustees, which he served on from 2000-2015, the last three years as chair. He was additionally awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from St Bonaventure University in 2016.

Mr. Dee’s long and storied career in the aluminum industry began with Alcoa in 1969. He held several positions in the company before he and a small group bought a closed Alcoa plant in Cressona, Pennsylvania, and founded Cressona Aluminum Company in 1979. The company would become the largest independent aluminum extruder in the United States. Mr. Dee, initially vice president of sales, became executive vice president and a member of the board. Cressona Aluminum was sold in 1996.

The following year Mr. Dee became managing director of British Aluminium in the United Kingdom. He ran the extrusion operations for three years before returning to the United States to join another start-up business, Service Center Metals, an extrusion company in Prince George, Virginia. He served as chair of the company’s board of directors, and was past chair of another aluminum company, Alexin, of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Mr. Dee was active in the many communities in which he resided including Naples, Florida, Sag Harbor, and Pottsville, Pennsylvania. He was an active member of Pelican Marsh Golf Club, the La Playa Beach Club “Tiki Bar” and St. John the Evangelist Church.

He was a member of the Sag Harbor Yacht Club, president of Genet Creek, a member of the Noyac Golf Club, served on the board of the Cedar Island Lighthouse restoration project and was an active member of St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church.

He served as council president at St. John the Baptist Church in Pottsville; was a member of the board at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center; was board chair at Seton Manor, a senior living facility associated with the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was a board member and former chair of the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education and served on the board of Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Dee was a devout Catholic intent on living his faith in his daily life. He was a gregarious, generous man with a humble nature, a quick wit, an engaging sense of humor and a firm handshake, his family said, noting that he was always happy to extend his arms and welcome his children’s friends as family.

He will be remembered for the twinkle in his sparkling blue eyes and the simple things he loved most in life: quiet moments with his wife, a beautiful sunset, a ride on his boat, family gatherings, evenings around a roaring fire, good food and drink and spending time at the local pubs with his beloved cousins in Doon, Ireland, his family said.

Mr. Dee’s greatest successes in his life were his 56 year marriage to his beloved wife Maureen and his six amazing children Kathleen (Jeff Brown), Maureen (Art Howard), Denise, Michael (Rachel Early), Marybeth, and Colleen (Steve Pole) and his grandchildren, Thomas Howard, Katherine Howard, Jack Brown, Brenna Howard, Jane Howard, Ryan Brown, Colin Dee, Lauren Pole, Coleman Dee, Matthew Pole, Nathan Dee, Meghan Pole and Bridget Pole. He was known by many nicknames and titles over the years but his favorite was “Pop” to his 13 grandchildren.

In addition to his immediate family, Ray is survived by his sister Mary (Greg) Churchill; brother-in-law John Kane (Mary Ann); seven nieces; five nephews; great-nieces and great- nephews; cousins; cousins-once-removed; and an immeasurable number of friends.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Yardley & Pino Funeral Home in Sag Harbor. A funeral Mass was held on January 30 at St. Andrew’s Church, Sag Harbor. Due to circumstances surrounding COVID-19, church capacity was limited to 110 attendees. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be sent to Sag Harbor Ambulance Volunteer Corps, Inc. PO Box 2725, Sag Harbor, NY 11963; the Sag Harbor Food Pantry, PO Box 1241, Sag Harbor, NY 11963; or St. Bonaventure University endowed scholarship fund in Mr. Dee’s name, PO Box 2519, St. Bonaventure, NY 14778.