Raymond Edward Adams

Raymond Edward Adams (“Ray”), 85, passed away peacefully on May 23, 2026, in St. Augustine, Florida, surrounded by the love of his family. Ray was born on December 29, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up on the South Side of Chicago, one of 10 children. He graduated from St. Procopius College. Then, after Officer Candidate School, he was a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, stationed in the Atlantic, until 1965. He then went on to graduate from the John Marshall School of Law. In 1965, Ray began a long career with ARCO, where he specialized in employee relations and ultimately served as an executive until his retirement in 1990. Though accomplished professionally, those who knew him best understood that his real vocation was taking care of people — often through food, humor, conversation, and oft-solicited and always excellent advice. Ray shared sixty wonderful years of marriage with the love of his life, Rosemary Ellis Adams. Together they built a life centered around family, hospitality, faith, and friendship. Over the years, they made homes in La Cañada, California; Columbus, Mississippi; and ultimately St. Augustine, Florida, where they spent the past 26 years. A devoted Catholic, Ray served as a Eucharistic Minister and frequent Mass lector for his parish in St. Augustine. He approached his faith quietly but thoughtfully, through service, consistency, and generosity toward others. Ray was warm, funny, deeply generous, and impossible to forget. He had impeccable and wide-ranging taste in music, loved to cook, and delighted in hosting parties for family and friends. He was a master of the grill, creator of legendary margaritas, and enthusiastically took responsibility for making holidays, vacations, and ordinary weekends feel special. He loved sports all his life. A college basketball player in his younger years, he later became a devoted coach to his daughters’ softball teams and a baseball coach for children with special needs. Ray approached junior girls’ softball with the seriousness and preparation of a major league manager — studying drafts, designing drills, and carefully constructing batting orders — while remaining perpetually bewildered that eleven-year-old girls did not share his intensity. He also maintained a beloved poker group that met regularly for more than twenty years, a testament to the enduring friendships he cultivated throughout his life. But nothing brought Ray greater joy than his grandchildren, who adored him completely. He always made sure the refrigerator was stocked with chocolate milk for their visits. They piled into his recliner to watch television with him, rode gleefully on his walker, jumped waves with him at the beach, and enlisted him in elaborate sand village construction projects. When they were babies, he would sit with them for hours, patiently narrating the world around them — conversations, television programs, everyday moments — believing that hearing language mattered. Ray is survived by his beloved wife Rosemary; his daughters Gabie Adams Norton (Rich Norton), Jennifer Adams Draffen (Mark Draffen), and Suzanna Adams (Molly O’Shaughnessy); and his cherished grandchildren Oliver Draffen, Abby O'Shaughnessy, Chloe Norton, Eleanor Draffen, Maisy Adams, Rob Norton, Amelia Draffen, and Willa Adams. He is also survived by his siblings Jack Adams, Jerry Adams, Bernard Adams, Jean Adams, Phillip Adams, Elaine Adams, and Mary-Gail Bennett. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Loretta Adams, and his brothers Robert Adams and Vincent Adams. Ray will be remembered for his warmth, humor, fierce devotion to family, endless generosity, and remarkable ability to make the people around him feel cared for. Whether through a perfectly grilled dinner, a poker game, a softball practice, a margarita, a piece of chocolate for a grandchild, or simply a long conversation in his recliner, he made life fuller and more joyful for the people lucky enough to know him. A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday June 29, 2026 at 9:00 AM at Anastasia Catholic Church in St. Augustine Beach, A reception will follow mass at Celebration Hall next to the church.

Raymond Edward Adams

December 29, 1940 - May 23, 2026