Obituary, Visitation & Funeral Information

A kind, storyteller, Raymond "Ray" Keifer, age 89, of Bellbrook, passed away Wednesday, August 19th, 2020.

He was born on April 12th, 1931, to Philip and Grace Keifer, the oldest of four kids. Ray graduated with the Class of 1949 at Fairmont High School where he played as the offensive tackle for the football team. After high school, Ray joined the Army and proudly served his country during the Korean War. In 1955, he married his beloved wife, Marilyn Jean "Jeanne," and later he became employed with NCR where he worked for 35 years.

Ray loved the color yellow. Specifically, as an avid automobile enthusiast, when seen on a nice, flashy car. Over the years he owned a '69 Firebird, a '78 TransAm, and a Pontiac Fiero, but his dream car was a yellow Corvette convertible. Each year, he, and the rest of the family, looked forward to vacationing in Myrtle Beach, a tradition that has lasted for decades. Ray was an amateur landscaper and car washer, a lover of ice cream and ALL things sweet, and a wearer of hot rod and OSU Football shirts. He was involved for many years with the Trans Am club of Dayton and was on the Board of Directors for the NCR Credit Union. Ray and his wife, Jeanne, were also very involved members at Fairhaven Church and dedicated volunteers at Miami Valley Hospital, where they served over 8,000 hours, 5,000 of which were Ray's.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Philip and Grace Keifer. Ray is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marilyn "Jeanne" (Heinz) Keifer, children Kim (Eric) Williams and Randy (Melinda) Keifer, grandchildren Heather (Drew), Amanda (Liz), Travis (Brandi), and Emily, great-grandchildren, Grady, Lily, Parker, and Dean, and siblings Barb Midgley, Harry Keifer, and Steve (Peggy) Keifer. Special thank you to "Anna's Helper's," especially Sheila, for their kind attention and care.

To help the family celebrate his life, you are invited to share during the visitation at Conner and Koch Life Celebration Home (92 W. Franklin St. Bellbrook, Ohio 45305) from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on Friday, August 21st. Funeral Services will be held following the visitation, and will begin at 1:00 pm. Burial to follow at Miami Valley Memory Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Hospice of Dayton (324 Wilmington Ave, Dayton, OH 45420). To help the family celebrate his life you are invited to use Ray's online Book of Memories to share photos, condolences, and memories on his tribute wall at www.ConnerAndKoch.com.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This obituary is a work protected under international and federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this compiled work may be reproduced, altered or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

The author hereby grants the newspaper the right to publish the complied work on the dates and location provided in the submission details and further grants to the newspaper the right to reproduce the work electronically in any website or digital medium owned or controlled by the newspaper provided the copy is not altered or modified in any way. The funeral home's website domain must accompany any reproduction of the work. The work must not be used for or by any person for direct commercialized gain in competition with the author, the funeral home, or their respective businesses.

Privacy Disclaimer

The information contained in this Book of Memories is intended solely for the private use of the families and friends of the deceased to support each other and honor, respect and pay tribute to the memory of the deceased.

Any and all other use is strictly prohibited. Without limiting the foregoing, any reproduction, distribution of the information contained herein, nor any contact or solicitation of any person identified in this work, nor any attempt to use the information in the work is prohibited.

What’s your fondest memory of Ray?

What’s a lesson you learned from Ray?

Share a story where Ray's kindness touched your heart.

Describe a day with Ray you’ll never forget.

How did Ray make you smile?