Raymond L. Anstiss, Sr. (1933-2010)
“To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; This is to have succeeded.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Raymond L. Anstiss certainly succeeded!
Born in the fall of 1933, Ray Anstiss grew up with a work ethic that permeated the culture of depression era children. It was a work ethic that served him well as a member of the United States Army Finance Corps in post-World War II Europe, a hockey player at Merrimack College, a professor of accounting at UMass Lowell, and the founder of Anstiss & Co. P. C. of Lowell Massachusetts in 1964.
Ray Anstiss believed in Lowell. He was born there and lived most of his life in the city he loved. Keeping his company in Lowell during some very trying times was important to him. His vision – one that he lived to see fulfilled and worked so hard to achieve – was a revitalized Lowell, a diverse and proud city, with a dynamic and growing foundation in business and community service.
To Raymond L. Anstiss, Sr., it was never only about accounting. He thought of himself as a trusted advisor, someone who could look at the financial statements of a company and intimately understand the entire operation. This knowledge served to provide him with the tools and guides he needed to help companies become and remain healthy.
Numbers were a part of him. He could work out complex problems in his head that sent other people scrambling for calculators. He thought in levels and saw numbers as the bread crumbs that led him to the heart and soul of any business he worked with. The numbers spoke to him. They gave him a road map to use in formulating the most successful financial strategies for his clients.
A suit and tie guy that never wore blue jeans, Ray Anstiss was dedicated to his family. He scheduled appointments around his children’s activities, even during tax season. He loved to take cross country trips and lengthy drives to Florida so he could engage in long talks with his wife, Ann. He clipped every newspaper article that made even the smallest mention of his kids.
Hard working and never flashy, his cars were always 10 or 15 years old because it didn’t make any sense to get rid of something that was in perfect working order. Ray did not seek prestige or personal honors. The respect of his peers, the sense of satisfaction he received from going more than the extra mile to ensure the job was done correctly, and the love of his family, were enough for a man who saw the world a little more deeply than most people.
Today, the legacy left by Raymond L. Anstiss Sr. is unmistakable. His son, Ray Jr., whom he hired in 1993, is leading a company that is currently among the 30 largest accounting firms in Massachusetts as ranked by the Boston Business Journal. He leaves a legacy of hard work, integrity, honesty, and a commitment to doing whatever it takes to ensure the stability and success of the community. He leaves a legacy of discipline, hard work and dedication to the success of his clients. And he leaves a legacy of having made a real difference in the City of Lowell that he loved so much.
Ray Anstiss also leaves a family to whom he was a great deal more than a husband, father, or grandfather. Ray was an extraordinary friend and advisor. We will always miss him, and honor his memory.
Some of the information in this article was provided through the courtesy of the Sun of Lowell.
