TAYLOR, MICH. — Raymond F. Kennedy, president and chief operating officer of Masco Corp., died at his home Feb. 4 of an apparent heart attack. Since 1996, Kennedy had been president and COO of Masco, a $10 billion manufacturer and installer of home-improvement products with brands such as Delta Faucet, Brass Craft and Merillat cabinets.
“Ray was a leader who was loved, admired and respected by all who knew him,” said Masco Chairman and Chief Executive Richard A. Manoogian. “He will be greatly missed by his family, many friends and business associates.”
Kennedy had been named executive vice president in 1995, and had served as president of Building Products Cos. since 1989. He was 60 years old and a resident of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Indianapolis.
Manoogian, who previously served as president and chief operating officer, will assume Kennedy’s responsibilities on an interim basis.
Following his graduation in 1963 from St. John’s University in New York where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business management, Kennedy began his career in a financial position with NBC News. In 1966, he joined AMF Inc. where he held positions in the controller’s office and quickly moved into operating management where he was successively president of the Skamper Corp., Head Ski and Tennis Co. and the AMF Wheel Goods Division.
He joined Masco in 1978 as president of the Plumbing Products Division, a position he held until 1989 when he moved to corporate headquarters to assume senior management responsibilities.
Kennedy also was active in charity activities. A devout Catholic, he was on the cabinet for the Father Solanus Casey Center located at the Capuchin Monastery and a supporter of the Legionnaires of Christ. In addition, he was deeply involved in the work of Cornerstone Schools, where he and his wife supported a number of students. Kennedy was on the board of directors and an active fundraiser for The City of Hope, a Los Angeles center of excellence for cancer treatment, and was honored by that organization with its 1998 Spirit of Life award for his distinguished service. He also served on the board of directors of the University of Notre Dame Library Council.