Raymond James O'Connor was born on May 12th, 1933 in Quincy, IL, the only child of Raymond James and Marie O'Connor. Ray was asthmatic for much of his childhood and spent a great deal of time in air-conditioned movie theaters where he developed a love of movies and drama. He moved to Springfield, IL in his early 30s, where he married Suzette Shaw and became an accountant with the state of Illinois. They had two daughters, Theresa and Anna, before divorcing in 1985. On November 28th, 1987 he married Sylvia Cannon and later moved to Florida to be near her family. Ray taught himself accounting and​ never stopped ​educating himself in history, world affairs and culture. Ray was a gentle man who loved travel, dancing, baseball, movies, telling jokes and all things Irish. He is survived by his wife of thirty years, his two daughters and three step-daughters, Louise, Carolyn and Amy.