Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

East Village Bar Owner Gets New Orleans-Style Sendoff

EAST VILLAGE — Friends and loved ones of an East Village bar owner who died after being struck riding his bicycle gave him a traditional New Orleans-style sendoff Monday.

Ray Deter, 53, owner of the bourbon bar d.b.a. on First Avenue, died a week after being hit by a car while riding his bike along Canal Street on June 27.

In classic Big Easy fashion, his friends hosted a traditional "Second Line" funeral parade Monday night, marching through the neighborhood carrying umbrellas and waving white handkerchiefs as a jazz band led the procession.

Deter's son, Jake, thanked parade-goers on the bar's Facebook page for coming out to honor his father.

"Even at such a sad time I couldn't help grinning like an idiot," he wrote. "I feel like nothing else could have been more appropriate, a true celebration of a great man's life, and I don't think he would have had it any other way."

Friends held a traditional New Orleans-style funeral parade for East Village bar owner Ray Deter, who died after being struck while riding his bike.
Friends held a traditional New Orleans-style funeral parade for East Village bar owner Ray Deter, who died after being struck while riding his bike.
View Full Caption
Facebook/d.b.a. East Village

A memorial service is scheduled for July 13, at the NYC Marble Cemetery on East Second Street, with seating reserved for immediate family. A farewell benefit is set for Aug. 1 at d.b.a.'s Williamsburg  location.