Claude “Ray” Raymond Duff was born on September 14, 1944. Ray passed away quietly with his family by his side on Monday, January 29, 2024 at the Lake Orion Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Ray graduated from Cody High School, Detroit, Michigan in 1962 and began working at Sears Roebuck and Co. in Highland Park, Michigan, where he met Barbara, his future wife. They married and soon thereafter in 1973 made Lake Orion their home.
Until his passing, they continued to live in that same home. Once a modest cottage, Ray was a proud storyteller of the time, work and effort devoted to transforming a cottage into a forever home for his family.
Ray was a dedicated worker and employee to several companies; however he spent the last 35 years of his career working for 7-Up Bottling Co, in Redford, Michigan.
When not at work, Ray loved “just going for a drive.” He was a devoted McDonalds coffee drinker, a lover of scratch-off lottery tickets, a pontoon sailor on Square Lake, and fancied himself a classic car aficionado.
Ray is preceded in death by his parents Naomi and Lonnie Duff and his sister Gail.
Surviving in addition to his wife Barbara, are his sons, Nathan and Benjamin of Lake Orion, daughter Rachel of Oxford and brother Richard Duff.
The family will receive guests from 10 a.m. – noon, February 8, 2024, at Sparks-Griffin Funeral Home in Lake Orion with a memorial prayer service to follow at noon.
Those who wish to remember Ray in a special way, in lieu of flowers, may make a donation to The Special Olympics of Michigan.
Reflections may be shared with the family at www.sparksgriffin.com.