Raymond C. Cavanagh

Raymond Charles Cavanagh, 81, of Vienna, Virginia, passed away on January 17, 2024.

Ray was born on July 25, 1942 to Raymond and Jane Cavanagh in Evergreen Park, Illinois. After graduating from St. Ignatius high school (Chicago) in 1960, he went on to study mathematics at the University of Notre Dame. After graduating in 1964, he attended the University of Maryland at College Park, where he received his PhD in math, and, more importantly, met his future spouse, the beautiful fellow math student Eileen Bleeg. Ray and Eileen went on to have two children, Sharon Cavanagh Edelmann and Maura Cavanagh Burke.

Ray started his career at BBN, where he became an expert in the mathematics behind underwater acoustics and launched a career on that topic. He spent the majority of his work life at SAIC supporting anti-submarine warfare and later the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Ray was way ahead of his time in the 1980s with the installation of a full-on napping couch in his office, as well as with edgy office party song parodies accompanied by the Rayettes.

Ray was a brilliant, sharply witty, and eccentric guy who lived in a world swirling with music, comedy, and math in a way that thrilled him and delighted the crowds. An accomplished pianist, guitarist, banjo guy, and heavy kazoo guy, Ray brought the party. If Ray was there, fun was on tap. Song parodies rolled off his tongue, with local hits like “Take Me Home, Carrhill Road” and “She was Just Sevent-ee”. SNL and Seinfeld were hot topics. You might be lucky enough to get the short lecture on a topic like Fermat’s Last Theorem (“baby math”) or his scientific expedition to the Arctic (“You sweat, you die”) or how he entertains his raccoon pal Rocky (with rides on a little remote-control car under the deck) or how he was involved in Vienna-based FBI spy Robert Hanssen’s capture (he wasn’t).

Most of all, Ray adored his wife, kids, and grandkids (“Pops” to them), and wasn’t afraid to express it. And although he ended up being a Virginian, his five younger siblings in Chicago and their families were of core importance to him. The hilarious stories of growing up as the “small” family (with only six kids) on the South Side of Chicago are still repeated by this group, often stretching a party exit by 30 minutes. Of course, Eileen was always THE BEST. In retirement, he claimed to be writing “the great American musical”, and we were all going to be his stars. And in a way, we were.

Ray was predeceased by his parents, Raymond and Jane Cavanagh. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Eileen Bleeg Cavanagh; his daughters Sharon Edelmann (spouse Paul, children Jackson, Thomas, and Claire) and Maura Burke (spouse Joseph, children Ian and Jed); his siblings Margaret Maher (Jack), Robert Cavanagh, Kathy Niekrasz (Mark), Tim Cavanagh (Chris), and Nancy Foster (Mark); and 13 wonderful nieces and nephews (Kathy, John, Maureen, Kara, John, Julie, Dan, Jane, Kathleen, Julie, Jim, Erica, and Karin).

A funeral service will be held on Friday, February 16th, 2024 at 11:00am at Saint John Neumann Catholic Church at 11900 Lawyers Rd, Reston, VA. A reception will follow at the church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to S.O.M.E. (So Others Might Eat) at https://some.org/