Jay Ceran

Jay Ceran, 94, a 52-year resident of Westlake Village, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones.

Jay was born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Albion college on a football scholarship and later graduated from Wayne State University. He met the love of his life, Marjorie (Marge) Grose, at her Albion college freshman mixer. They married in 1954. Jay was drafted into the army after graduation and served in Missouri, Colorado and Kentucky, where his degree in psychology landed him in the U.S. Special Forces, working with civilian scientists on early research for the Space program.

Jay and Marge "fell in love" with the Colorado Rockies, and moved west to Denver in 1957 with "no job, a pregnant wife, and 0 in my pocket". Jay joined the Equitable Life Insurance company, which started a long career in group insurance sales. In 1967, he accepted a transfer to the Los Angeles office.

Sailing, his pastime in childhood, became a passion when Jay moved with his family to Westlake Village in 1974, and he purchased a Coronado 15 (C-15) sailboat. Subsequently, with his family as crew, he became a proficient sailor and raced in regattas at Westlake and across the state.

After retirement in the employee benefits business, Jay became active in the Westlakers men's group, at one point becoming president. He also fought for his community to prevent a large development at the site of the old hospital in Westlake, and later served on the Homeowners Board of the Westlake Village First Neighborhood Homeowners Association.

Jay was known for his kindness, affable humor, his interest in astronomy and ability to make and fix things. His daughters enjoyed the puppet theater, toy chest, stilts and other items he constructed when they were youngsters.

Jay is survived by his wife of 72 years, Marge, daughters Lisa and Barbara, granddaughter Jenny, great granddaughter Ivy Rose, and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents and younger brother Tom Ceran.