Rafael Howe "Ray" Carbonell

1945 - 2023

On the afternoon of May 1st, 2023 Ray passed away unexpectedly in his office in Brattleboro, VT at the age of 78. Ray was with his wife as well as co-workers who attempted to assist. His passing was immediate and thankfully, he did not suffer.

Ray was born in Brattleboro, VT on January 16th, 1945. He was the first of two children of Lillian Adelaide (Howe) Carbonell of Northfield, MA and Rafael Martinez Carbonell of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Ray was a hard-working Vermonter who played football at Brattleboro Union High School, where he graduated in 1963. He then graduated from Northeastern University in 1968, and while there joined the Nu Epsilon Zeta fraternity where he made lifelong friends and brothers he continued to see regularly throughout his life. He also obtained a Masters of Business Administration degree from Suffolk University in 1970 while working full-time.

In 1969 Ray married Patricia M. Mayor from Miami, FL. They had two sons: Rafael "Rafe" Mayor Carbonell, born in Boston, MA in 1974, and Sloane Mayor Carbonell, born in Brattleboro, VT in 1976.

In October 2015, Ray married Laura Ellen Systo of Guilford, VT, and they shared many laughs, sunsets, and nautical miles together. For years they were accompanied by their furry companion Lucky, whom they took in from the streets of Miami.

Ray was an entrepreneur at heart and he excelled as a businessman. He purchased and worked a sawmill in Marlboro, VT, started a wood furniture making business in Guilford, VT, founded and ran the Guilford Home Center, and added an appliance division as well. After many years of building relationships, he sold the Home Center and in 1985 started Cocoplum Appliances in Brattleboro, VT. That location's success branched into two more locations: Keene, NH in 1990 and Essex Jct., VT in 2000. Cocoplum now employs almost 30 people, and Ray was extremely proud of the business and the many employees who helped make it successful.

Ray loved travel and adventure. After college, he and his good friend Steve Drowne hitchhiked completely around the world by planes, trains, cars, buses, and boats; they even peeled potatoes in exchange for passage. They also started a not-so-successful fishing charter business. Ray continued to travel the world throughout the years with his family and friends including places all over Europe, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and South Africa.

Ray's mother Lillian introduced him to boating and he became an avid sailor and boater. Ray and Laura docked their boat in downtown Burlington, VT and enjoyed hosting friends and taking trips together from Lake Champlain to New York City, Montreal, Canada, and Miami, FL via the Intracoastal Waterway, often accompanied by their fearless deck paw Lucky. Aside from his passion to be on the water, Ray was also an avid skier and wanna-be golfer. He would meet up with a group of fraternity brothers each year to ski Vermont, often transported to the mountain by Gene Flynn's beast of a Suburban.

Ray was preceded in death by: his father, Rafael Martinez Carbonell, his mother, Lillian Howe Carbonell, and his brother, Roger Allen Carbonell.

Ray is survived by: wife, Laura E. Systo; son & family, Rafael M. & Maria Sol Patanian Carbonell, Sofia Carbonell (11), and Sebastian Carbonell (9); son & wife, Sloane & Marcy Carbonell; nieces, Jeanne Johnson, Angela Lebel, and Carmel Olver.

The family would like to give a special thanks to all of Ray's co-workers and business associates who have worked with and supported him for so many years. He considered them as part of his extended family.

Calling Hours will be held on Thursday, May 11th from 5:00-7:00 pm at the Atamaniuk Funeral Home, 40 Terrace Street in Brattleboro, Vermont. A burial service will be held on Friday, May 12th at 11:00 am at the Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery, 580 Orchard Street in Brattleboro, and a reception to celebrate Ray's life will follow from 12:30-4:00 pm at Bella Notte, 52-59 Senator Ganett Drive at the Brattleboro Country Club. All gatherings are open for anyone with a connection to Ray and his family.

Instead of sending flowers, the family asks that people consider making a contribution in Ray's memory to Brattleboro Union High School Athletics at https://givebutter.com/In-Memory-Of-Ray-Carbonell