Desautels, Raymond E. passed away peacefully at the Lasell House in Newton on March 19th, surrounded by his loving family and members of his caring home health aide team. He was 96 years old and will be remembered for his deep love of family, his pioneering work in the life insurance industry, and for his leadership in many organizations that mattered to him professionally and personally.
Ray was born in St. Albans, Vermont in 1919 and raised in Dorchester where he graduated from Dorchester High School for Boys. He earned BS and MBA degrees from Boston University and served in the U.S. Army during World War II, followed by two decades in the U.S. Army Reserve.
As a third-generation family member in the life insurance industry, Ray began his career with the Curtis Agency and the Gene Hays Agency, both at New England Life. In 1965 he was named a partner in Downing and Desautels, a General Agency of New England Life. This was the first of several strong partnerships that eventually evolved into Baystate Financial Services from which he retired in 1989. Ray was very proud that his children, Raymond Jr. and Denise, have carried on the family tradition as the 4th generation in the life insurance business.
Ray was a trailblazer in the life insurance brokerage arena who placed unprecedented emphasis on proactive relationship building and getting outside the office as much as possible. This was at the time a largely novel approach that ushered in a new era of brokerage management and business success. According to Walter Downing, Ray’s business partner of 21 years “Desautels knew the business better than all of us and he had an unassailable reputation. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate him 10 in all aspects of agency management and another resounding 10 in human decency and integrity.”
In his field Ray served as President of the Boston Life Underwriters Association and the Boston General Agents Association. He was an active leader in many area organizations, including President of the South Shore Association for Retarded Citizens, Treasurer of New England Village, and an Executive Committee member at the Greater Boston YMCA. Ray was also a Trustee at the Mass. Eye & Ear Hospital and at Boston University, and was a Corporator at Springfield College.
The most important thing in Ray’s life was his family. He met his future wife of 63 years, Marian Duncan, at Dorchester Temple Baptist Church where they both were active as teenagers. They married in the early 50s and raised their children in Hingham, where he was active in the Hingham Congregational Church. Ray imparted many “life lessons” to his children through his deeds and compassion, reminding them that “Whatever you do in life, do it to the best of your ability;” and to always “Treat people as you would like to be treated.”
In addition to his loving wife, Marian, and children, Denise and Raymond, Jr., Ray leaves his sister, Anita Somes. He was predeceased by his daughter Marianne and by his brother, Robert.
Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, March 24th from 5-7PM at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington Street, Wellesley. Interment will be private at the Cedar Grove Cemetery in Dorchester. There will be a Celebration of Life on Saturday, April 2nd at 2PM in the ballroom at Lasell Village, 120 Seminary Avenue, Newton, MA 02466. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Ray’s memory to New England Village, 664 School Street, Pembroke, MA 02359 or Boston Cares, 90 Canal Street, Boston, MA 02114.