Raymond "Ray" E. Velboom

Raymond E. “Ray” Velboom, 67 of Dade City died on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018. He was born in Clearwater, FL to Ralph and Ethel (Young) Velboom and was a graduate of Clearwater High School, class of 1969 and Florida State University where he graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice. He is survived by his beloved brown eyed girl, his wife of 23 years, Julie Scott, a sister Dianne (Ken) Smith of Springfield, IL, his very dear cousin Herman (Apricot) McIntyre of Ocilla, GA, his cherished German Shepherd Dog Sophie and a new doodle puppy, Harry. A Celebration of Ray’s life will be held on Thursday, Nov 15th at 5:30 pm at the National Guard Armory, 38017 Live Oak Ave, Dade City, FL 33523. His family is encouraging everyone to join them for a time of fellowship and food immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Dade City Police Foundation, 38030 Meridian Avenue, Dade City, FL 33525 or www.dadecitypolicefoundation.mydagsite.com. Ray always knew he wanted to be a police officer. He did what every grown up tells you, find something you love to do and get paid for it. Ray started his law enforcement career as a Probation and Parole officer before joining the Orlando Police Department as a Police Officer. He quickly excelled at coordinating special events, dignitary protection and developing tactics to combat crime in the community. In 1980, Ray joined the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) as a Special Agent assigned to the Protective Operations Detail for the Governor. Ray was proud to provide protection to Governors Graham, Chiles, Martinez and Bush. He was promoted to Intelligence Unit Supervisor, where he spent years investigating public corruption cases and domestic terrorism. In 1986, he was transferred to the Tampa Region, where he spent the rest of his career with FDLE, retiring in 2007. During his time in Tampa and Brooksville, Ray made an impact as he led his teams using his great expertise in the areas of domestic terrorism, violent crimes and protective operations. Ray was one of the first commanders of the Child Abduction Response Team. He served as the head of the “Band Aid Bandit Task Force, a multi-agency investigation of a serial bank robber. In March, 2008, Ray was sworn in as the Chief of Police of the Dade City Police Department. At his retirement, in May 2018, Ray said being the Chief of the Dade City Police Department was the highlight of his long career. There were not many days that he did not look forward to coming to work because of the men and women of the Police Department and the community of Dade City. Ray praised the community as having been totally supportive of their local police department. Just one example was the outpouring of community support when everyone came together and raised money to fully fund the purchase of a new K9 dog and extra safety equipment including an active shooter kit for every officer. These donations from the community led him to form the Dade City Police Foundation which continues to help fund extra expenses for officers and their families. He also appreciated the few times the community held his feet to the fire when it was needed. Ray was very proud of the construction of a new police department building which brought Dade City into the forefront of modern policing. He loved this job so much that he worked the entire last year leading up to his retirement while undergoing intensive cancer treatment. As much as Ray loved his job, he also had lots of fun after hours. He and Julie loved to cook for friends and neighbors, he was known for having at least two of his four grills going at any time and creating gourmet meals in the kitchen. He enjoyed a Tanqueray gin and tonic, fine dining, a good bottle of wine and a great group of friends. He and Julie were often found riding their bikes on the weekends. They had some beautiful rides, including a trip to Vermont for leaf season two years ago. He was happiest in their North Carolina home, sitting on the deck in front of the fire pit with a cocktail, dogs at his feet, enjoying the beautiful view.

Raymond "Ray" E. Velboom

January 15, 1951 - October 27, 2018