July 2026 Obituaries

July 1, 2026

Ray T. Maxey

Ray Maxey, 80, of Albuquerque, N.M., died on July 4.

Ray was a long-time senior softball player, starting with Senior Softball USA in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But his passion for sports started decades before that.

In high school, he played varsity football, basketball and baseball. His post high school career took him to college, then the Army, where he played not only those three sports, but added track as well, while stationed in Germany.

After the Army, he went back to college and focused on football and baseball.

Outside of sports, or somewhat outside of sports, he was a high school teacher in Phoenix where he coached Junior Varsity football, baseball, cross-country and track. When he moved to Albuquerque, he worked with the city’s Park and Recreation office, coaching men’s and women’s softball team, and later training the officiants.

“Ray began playing senior softball with a group of great guys... For the first year, they played in the league and a few warm-up tournaments [but] it was not long before they entered their first world tournament in Kansas City, competing against teams from all over the country,” according to his online obituary. “Ray was chosen as the all-tourney and was voted to play in the All-Star game.”

“It was in [their] third year that the team began winning numerous games and then proceeded to win their first World Championship. They were the first senior team in Albuquerque to accomplish this,” according to the obituary.

Ray will best be remembered playing with High Desert Dukes 60s, High Desert Roadrunners 65s, Tri-State Diamondbacks 70-75s and lately, ZIA 75s and 80s, all from Albuquerque.