Raymond Anthony Deeb

September 24, 1947 - January 25, 2021

Raymond was born in Jarrow-on-Tyne, County Durham, England on 24 September, 1947, the first of 6 children of Felix and Thelma Deeb (nee Sanan), who were both born in South Africa of Catholic Lebanese parents. About a year after his birth, they returned to South Africa where Raymond spent the bulk of his life. He did his schooling in Welkom, Kimberley, Boksburg and Johannesburg, often excelling in scouting, various sports (cricket and field hockey), and organizing many fundraising activities (neighborhood concerts, dance competitions, stalls in a Church Bazaar, …). In 1969, he moved with the family to Durban where he completed his articles with a firm of auditors. In this time, he attended a Dale Carnegie course which changed his life with a perspective of the “power of positive thinking”. He began doing business, buying small articles from auction sales, repairing and selling them. This entrepreneurship gradually developed towards buying and selling larger properties and businesses. He remained in Durban for 32 years. In 1984 he married Sharon Kendal. They had four children: Claire (1986), Gareth (1987), Craig (1991) and Stephanie (1995). In 2001, Ray and his family moved to Orlando, Florida, USA, where he managed a mobile home park for four years. Thereafter, he struggled to secure a sustainable livelihood. This eventually impacted on his mental health, especially in the last years before his death on 25 January, 2021. Raymond was always a very creative, colorful and endearing person who loved living on the edge with antics that were unexpected and that no-one who met him could ever forget. He was always abounding with energy, and, despite having a speech stammer, he loved to talk at length to whomever he encountered. He was also a handy person with an ability to build and fix things. Ray never went to a doctor and always appeared to be in perfect physical health. His rapid physical decline in the last month of his life was therefore a shock for everyone. He leaves behind his loving wife and four children and his three sisters and two brothers. He will be sorely missed!