Raymond Fredrick Brunsberg

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Ray Brunsberg, taken from us by a sudden heart attack on April 23, 2023. Ray was a man who lived life with insatiable curiosity and a sense of adventure.
Raymond Fredrick Brunsberg was born to Friedrich and Margit Brunsberg in Wilmington, Delaware on March 15, 1964. He attended Salesianum High School and excelled as an undergraduate at MIT, where he met his wife, Ellen. After graduating in 1986, he worked as a chemical engineer in France, Belgium, and Italy. Ray went on to earn an MBA from NYU in 1997. An aficionado of languages, Ray was fluent in French and German and had been expanding his linguistic abilities by studying Spanish.
Ray and Ellen made a wonderful life, living abroad in London, where he was a stay-at-home dad to their two incredible daughters, Rebecca and Sarah. The family traveled the world together and he visited more than 80 countries in his lifetime. Ray was an extraordinary athlete, completing numerous triathlons, marathons, and even the Ironman World Championship in Kona. He climbed Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the southern hemisphere, and Kilimanjaro, touching the sky both literally and metaphorically.
In addition to his athletic pursuits, Ray was an avid reader, board game player, and puzzle enthusiast, with a particular love for completing every New York Times crossword and letting Ellen help him on Saturdays. Ray's passion for crosswords led to the ultimate achievement of having one of his and Ellen's puzzles published in The New York Times.
Ray was brilliant and creative when it came to solving any problem that crossed his path. He had a remarkable ability to bring order and reason to every task he undertook, whether it involved numbers, words, or the game of euchre. Math was a particular passion of his, and he never failed to delight others with a clever riddle. Although he often exuded a quiet and serious demeanor, those who knew him well will recall his sharp wit and wry sense of humor.
Ray loved his family deeply, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than spending time with his wife and daughters. He took immense pride in his daughters' accomplishments and was always their biggest supporter, cheering at sporting events and volunteering for every school trip.
Despite his many accomplishments, Ray remained humble and prioritized helping others. He tutored NYC public school students in math through the BEAM program, volunteered at the Urban Outreach Center to provide food to those in need, and swam, rode, and ran alongside athletes with disabilities through Achilles International's TriAchilles Team.
Ray is survived by his wife Ellen, his daughters Rebecca and Sarah, his sister Monique, and his stepmother Sandra. Although he has left this earth far too soon, he will live on through his kind deeds. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to one of the three charities above that Ray passionately supported. Urban Outreach Center: https://www.uocnyc.org/donate. TriAchilles Team: https://give.achillesinternational.org/give/321270/#!/donation/checkout. (Please choose team TriAchilles when donating to direct funds to the group Ray was involved with.) BEAM (Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics): https://www.beammath.org/donate
There will be a memorial service on Saturday, April 29th at 2pm at NeueHouse Madison
Square (110 E 25th St, New York, NY 10010), with a reception to follow.