A Bloomfield, N.J., resident, he came to Princeton from St. Thomas the Apostle and Regis High School in New York. At Princeton, Ray majored in classical languages, graduated cum laude, and was a member of Quadrangle Club.
After earning a law degree from Rutgers, Ray completed his LL.M. in tax law from the NYU School of Law and practiced as a tax attorney for over 30 years.
In 1987 Ray married the love of his life, Linda Franz. A voracious reader, he focused most of his attention on history and current events. Ray was known as one of the great armchair Jeopardy! champions and was also an avid solver of The New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle.
He was also a passionate follower of politics who could make everyone around him laugh with his observations about the current scene. Occasionally he shared those views on the op-ed pages as well.
Ray is survived by Linda; brothers Kevin, Robert, and David; sisters Margerith Mary Brown and Judith Brown Scott; an aunt, Virginia Richert; an uncle, Robert Brown; and multiple nieces and nephews. The family requests donations in his name to the SPCA.