Raymond Filmore Keeton's Obituary
Raymond Filmore Keeton transitioned to his eternal heavenly home on January 17, 2017. A native of Dallas, Texas, Ray moved to Germany in 1977. He later moved back to the Dallas area where he resided until the time of his death. Ray was born on November 27, 1952 to the late Ward Seymour Keeton and Opal Mae [Hittle] Keeton. He is survived by his wife, Brenda Keeton, along with his two sons, Andreas Keeton and Alexander Keeton, all residents of the Dallas area. Also surviving him are his two sisters, Carol and [Mike] Knight and Joyce Paulson, and a brother Ward and [Jill] Keeton, in addition to several other family members. Close friends, Victor and Cheryl Claar, and their daughter Laura, were life-long friends he considered a part of his extended family. Ray spent seven years in sales management with the WD Warren, EURPAC and MJ Daniels companies. He further specialized his career focus in communication technology, owning his own company and traveling internationally providing client support in technology training and development. He worked for the past 10 years for the prestigious law firm, Thompson and Knight, LLP. Ray’s love of adventure and travel took him around the world. Enjoying the beauty of nature and the variety of cultures in which he had the opportunity to discover, he appreciated the uniqueness of each place and treasured a variety of friends and memories made along the way – long walks in German forests, running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, and relaxing and enjoying the culinary specialties of Naples, Italy were just a few of those he often spoke of with particular fondness. In addition to his love of personal adventure, Ray also was an avid history buff with a particular interest in American history, from the country’s founding through the American Revolution, recounting dates and events, and telling stories as if he had observed them first-hand. He delighted in sharing nuggets of history to spark a conversation or to make a memorable moment come to life. His wit and sense of humor will be missed. As a strong Christian, Ray’s godly influence was apparent as he challenged others to live a life of integrity. His personal passion was to serve others and his quiet strength was often witnessed as he served, with love and humility, his family, friends, and those he encountered. The family will hold a private graveside service for Ray, with an open-house celebration of life for family and friends to follow at the family’s place of residence. Date is currently pending. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Ray Keeton to Pleasant Hills Children’s Home, P.O. Box 1177, Fairfield, TX 75840; 903-389-2641; PleasantHillsChildrensHome.org. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, at Restland Road, Dallas, TX 75243.
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