Death announced of outstanding Thame sportsman and inventor

IT is with great sadness that friends and family have reported the death of Ray Hawes, aged 75, formerly of  Long Crendon, near Thame, on Sunday, November 3,  after a long battle with cancer. He died peacefully at home in Mt Pleasant, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

The late Ray Hawes photographed during a trip to Australia

Ray was an outstanding local sportsman, one of the best of his generation. He was a very talented cricketer and golfer and also played table tennis and squash. Moreover, he was a charismatic, generous person, who touched many peoples’ lives.

Ray was born in Aylesbury and spent his childhood and early married life in Long Crendon. He went to Lord Williams’ grammar school in Thame, leaving after the fifth form to work with his father, Willis, at Crendon Concrete, afterwards forming  Hawes Farm Buildings.  He moved to Grendon Underwood in 1980 and then to Devon for several years before moving to the USA. He first resided in New Hampshire before settling in Charleston, South Carolina, where he established his businesses.

On the cricket field Ray opened the batting firstly at Thame CC, where he set records of scoring 1,000 runs in consecutive seasons in the 1960s. He captained the club before moving to Aylesbury CC after which he then played county cricket for Bucks.  He became the first Aylesbury batsman for 20 years to score 1,000 runs and went on to captain the club for many seasons in the 1970s. He also played for SOA (South Oxon Amateurs)and later for Devon over 50s. It is believed he achieved the remarkable feat of scoring 100 centuries over his career.

Ray was also a single figure handicap golfer. He was a member of Oxford City (Southfield) and Buckingham golf clubs. He was a founder member of Five Star Events, an Oxfordshire organisation running golf events for local charities and was its President in 2009/10.

Whilst in the USA, Ray went on to patent a number of inventions. In 2000 he set up Rapid Deployable Systems Inc, which marketed his structures that enables bridges, such as the Bay bridge in San Francisco and the one in Detroit linking the US and Canada, to be enclosed for repairs or maintenance. He then obtained the contracts for the US Navy fleets in Norfolk, Virginia and Seattle to enclose their aircraft carriers. He was recognized by the US government for his innovative work which resulted in him having dual American/British citizenship.

Most recently he invented the framework for a category five hurricane proof house, made from aluminium. The house was the first of its kind and engineered to withstand winds speeds of up to 157 mph as well as earthquakes up to eight on the Richter scale. These houses are built by one of Ray’s companies, Cat Five Houses of Charleston.

Ray is survived by his wife of 55 years, Maureen (nee King) who was born in Thame, sisters Daphne, Margaret and Sylvia, his four children-Nina, Julia, Angela and Geoff, and nine grandchildren.

Ray will be sorely missed. His funeral will take place on Thursday, November 14, in Mt Pleasant. His family intend to hold a memorial service in England in due course.

SOURCE: Contributed by BarryYates