“Have a Heart” Celebration Serves Tallahassee Memorial Heart & Vascular Center

On February 4th, the Mays-Munroe showroom will be festively transformed to create the perfect setting for the annual “Have a Heart” Celebration with a welcoming array of delicious food and beverages, live and silent auctions, music and fun – all to honor the memory of Ray Munroe, Jr. and to raise funds for the TMH Foundation’s Ray Munroe, Jr. Endowment to benefit the Tallahassee Memorial Heart & Vascular Center.

Mays-Munroe, owned by Ray and Peggy Munroe, has been a vital part of the business community for over forty years. Mays Electric was founded in 1936 by Hugh Mays. The Munroe’s bought the business in 1974.

The successful business, which is known for exceptional customer service and their funny TV commercials, has been built around their family.  Currently seven family members work at the Capital Circle NE location.

The Mays-Munroe family was hit with a tragedy on March 11, 2012 when Ray and Peggy’s son, Ray, Jr. passed away of complications from cardiovascular disease.

Ray Bailey Munroe, Jr. was born July 25, 1958 and graduated from Leon High School in 1976. He went on to graduate summa cum laude from Florida State University and then earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in physics.

He was an accomplished physics professor who also worked for NASA and authored two physics books and a number of articles. After teaching for several years, Ray moved back to Tallahassee and accepted a position as buyer and future CEO of his family’s company, Mays-Munroe & The Sleep Center.

“What made Ray a unique and beautiful soul is the fact that he was not only a man of science, but he was also a man of God. He knew that the universe is so perfect that it must be the creation of a supreme being,” said his mother Peggy.

His sister Meghan added, “Ray was a dear, sweet, and gentle person who will be sorely missed by everyone, especially by his wife Lisa, his daughter Laura, and by our parents Ray and Peggy.”

In the true Munroe  spirit, Ray and Peggy and the family,  decided to move  forward by turning their tragedy into a benefit for others. The Munroe family partnered with the TMH Foundation to create the Ray Munroe, Jr. Endowment and offered to host the  ‘Have a Heart’ Celebration. The endowment serves the Tallahassee Memorial Heart & Vascular Center.

The evening is a celebration of Ray’s life. Friends of the Munroe family, Mays-Munroe customers, and friends of TMH will gather in a spirited tribute to Ray and in recognition of all that he held dear.

Aaron Kinnon, TMH Foundation Director of Development said, “Ray, Jr.’s passing was a tragedy, and Peggy expressed to me that the family has a heart’s desire to try and make something good come from it. This event – the “Have a Heart” Celebration – is the Munroe family’s way to do just that – to inspire people to celebrate life and to give – to benefit others.”

In the top photo, left to right: Mark, Ellen, Mike, Peggy, Ray, Sr, Meghan, Lisa (Ray’s widow) and Laura (Ray’s daughter)

  Have Heart, mays-munroe