During these very trying times we at Donohue Cecere Funeral Home want to assure you that we have taken every precaution to provide a safe environment for you and your loved ones. Our location is cleaned and sanitized daily and we continue to follow best practices for social distancing and safety.
In accordance with Executive Order 202.17 (which requires any individual over age two, and able to medically tolerate a face-covering, be required to cover their nose and mouth with a mask or cloth face-covering when in a public place) we are required to follow this mandate or risk being shut down; therefore, all individuals entering our funeral home will be asked to wear a face mask or cloth face covering.
As of the latest update we are able to offer limited visitation periods in the funeral home for family and friends up to 25 people per session. Please be mindful when visiting during these sessions to limit the amount of time spent at the funeral home. This will give the opportunity for other family and friends to visit.
Ray Cipullo (a/k/a Ralph Cipullo, a/k/a Ray Carle) passed away on Thursday, January 28th, four weeks short of his 99th birthday, at the New York State Veterans’ Home in Montrose, NY. Born in the Bronx in 1922 to Joseph and Josephine Cipullo, Ray loved music from his childhood, inspired by his mother’s love of singing and her playing of the mandolin. He learned to play the double bass and the guitar, performing professionally from an early age. In February 1942, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, serving with the 2nd Marine Division. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in the Battle of Saipan, participated in action at Tinian and Okinawa, and served with the Allied occupying forces at Nagasaki in 1945. From the later 1940s until the 1980s, Ray performed throughout New York, playing club dates, jazz, and music for society affairs. In 1949, he married Lois Stevens, and they raised two sons on Long Island. In the 1950s, with the Ray Carle Quartet, he hosted a successful radio show broadcast live from the Café Rouge of the Statler-Hilton Hotel. In addition to his career as a musician, Ray created and owned a number of restaurant/lounges, including the Green Haven Inn in Mamaroneck (with his partner, vibraphonist Ray Alexander), the Little Club in Roslyn on Long Island, and Tin Pan Alley in Greenvale, NY (with Bill Anderson). Ray was also an accomplished horseman and owned a number of thoroughbred horses in the 1960s and 1970s, often partnering with the restaurateur Donnie Tomassetti of Flushing, NY. Ray moved to south Florida in the 1980’s and performed there until he retired from playing the bass at the age of 88. At the age of 93, he moved back to New York to be closer to his family. He is survived by his brother Victor, son Tom, daughter-in-law Hedwig Brouckaert, granddaughter Lois, numerous nieces and nephews, and many friends. He was pre-deceased by his son Christopher (Chip), his former wife Lois, and his beloved siblings Charles, Florence, Matthew, Arthur, Gloria, and Ernest.
Memorial visitation on Tuesday, January 9 from 10am to 12 noon at the Donohue-Cecere Funeral Home, 290 Post Avenue in Westbury. Interment immediately following at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury. A memorial service will take place when it is safe to do so.
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