Raymond Lee Kessler

1926 - 2018

(News story) MONROE - Raymond Lee Kessler, a retired Jefferson High School principal who was a World War II-era U.S. Navy veteran, died Friday at the Brookdale assisted living and memory care facility in Monroe. He was 91.
He died after a long battle with dementia, his son Jeffray Kessler said.

The elder Mr. Kessler retired from Jefferson Schools in 1990 after 36 years of service, most of them as high school principal.

About 2014, Jefferson High School alumni established a memorial scholarship in honor of Mr. Kessler.

"Dad was dedicated to bringing out the very best in people - his students, his colleagues, his family," the younger Mr. Kessler said. "And he tried not to forget anyone, any student.

"Back then, in the '60s, when you were a single mom, you were ostracized," he said. "Your education would be either put on hold or forgotten.

"So not only did he do home visits to encourage the single moms to return to high school, but he also created a special day at the high school when those moms could go back to school with their children periodically, telling the moms, 'It's OK. You are not an ostracized person. You can be proud of your children. You are still a student at this school and you can achieve.'"

"And he did that not for notoriety or personal advancement. He did it for the kids; students with their potential. He dodged the limelight at every turn," his son went on to say.

The middle of three siblings, Mr. Kessler was born June 28, 1926, in Toledo to Hattie and Norman Kessler.

Mr. Kessler was raised in Toledo, where he graduated from Libbey High School.

While in school, he made money as a one-man-band. He also made Eagle Scout while in school, of which he was proud, his son said.

Upon graduation, Mr. Kessler enlisted in the Navy. He was later stationed in Florida as a flight navigator through the end of World War II.

After getting his honorable discharge in 1946, he returned to Toledo and used his GI Bill to attend the University of Toledo, graduating with a bachelor's degree in education.

Mr. Kessler then got his first teaching assignment in the Ida, Mich., school district, teaching and driving a school bus for a few years until coming to work for Jefferson Schools.

"Raised humbly, he was able to break a cycle of family poverty with his ingenuity," his son said. "It served him later in his career when he helped children who struggled. He had struggled himself. He knew it. He discovered his own potential, and he helped others discover theirs."

In his free time, Mr. Kessler enjoyed using his handyman skills. Having built his own house in 1957, he also helped neighbors fix plumbing problems, his son said.

A self-taught musician, the elder Mr. Kessler also liked to play piano. His other hobbies included fishing, golfing, and swimming.

He was preceded in death by his sister, Geraldine Kessler, and brother, Verl Kessler.

Surviving are his wife of 69 years, Betty Kessler; sons, Jeffray, Bradley, and Robert Kessler; daughter, Jill Ranallo; seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Visitation will continue at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Christ Lutheran Church, 225 E. Elm Ave., Monroe, where funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. that day.

Allore Funeral Home in Monroe handled arrangements.

The family suggests tributes to the Ray Kessler/Jefferson Alumni Scholarship fund or Christ Lutheran Church.

This is a news story by Mike Sigov. Contact him at sigov@theblade.com or @mikesigovblade.