WINTER HARBOR – Althea M. Ray, 75, passed away July 28, 2008, at her home. She was born Nov. 25, 1932, the daughter of Hilda and Ira Coombs. She is survived by and will be sadly missed and always loved by her husband, Irving “Snookie” Ray; her children, Gary Ray of Ellsworth, Charles Hurd and his wife, Linda, of Winter Harbor and Roseanne Shafer of Winter Harbor; her grandchildren, Brent Hurd and his fiancee, Cheryl Torrey, of Winter Harbor and Joshua Shafer and his longtime girlfriend, Keri Campiola, both of Boston; her great-grandchildren, Colby Hurd and Kylee Torrey of Winter Harbor; and by her brother, H. Osmond Coombs and his wife, Sharon, of Winter Harbor. She also leaves behind surrogate grandchildren too countless to name, all of whom knew her simply as Nan, as well as a group of friends who loved her and were loved by her, who also are too numerous to mention by name. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her first husband, Charles “Buddy” Hurd; and by her siblings, Irma, Erdine, Montelle and Richard. Her family offers a special thanks to Barbara Jean Bragdon of Winter Harbor, who was loved by Althea like a daughter and in whose debt we always will be for helping enable this amazing woman who we so dearly love to live the last months of her life at home, with dignity and under the greatest care for which anyone could ever wish. A woman of seemingly boundless energy and an equally limitless desire to help friends and neighbors in need, Althea made herself an irreplaceable presence in the community in which she lived. No one who needed her time or her efforts was denied, and the positive impact she had on the community around her cannot be overstated. She was one of the rarest types of people, someone who possessed not only the desire to make the world around her a better place, but who had also the will and great physical strength to make that desire manifest. Without her, things will never be the same, but the effects of her innumerable good acts will live on in this area forever. Althea was a woman with an incredible zest for life. She loved the simple things the best: a moped ride with her husband around Schoodic Point, a walk around Grindstone with her friend, Sandy Daly or a good meal and a cup of coffee with family and friends. She enjoyed snowmobiling and making wreaths in the winter time, and spent her vacation in the summer every year for 45 years at her beloved Flander’s Pond, where she took delight in swimming, having a boiled lobster dinner with her family, and playing cribbage and scat in the evenings. Althea was a fan of country music and was a wonderful dancer. She was a highly social person, who enjoyed community gatherings and celebrations. Above all she loved her family to a degree that went beyond what any of us could hope for. Most of all this was true of her pride and joy, the apple of her eye, her youngest son, Gary, who was born with Downs Syndrome. A pioneer in Hancock County in the field of services for individuals with mental retardation and related disabilities, she worked tirelessly on behalf of the Mount Desert Island Sheltered Workshop and Special Olympics, giving selflessly of her time, energy and financial resources. The profit she made from selling wreaths was donated to these charities, as was the money she earned from religiously collecting bottles and cans on her nightly walks. Her efforts to bring into existence in the Downeast area services for the mentally handicapped, including facilities such as the Sheltered Workshop and various group homes that promote independent living were profound, and have helped more people in this little corner of the world than she ever knew or imagined. Althea Ray had a wonderful life and stands as a shining example of one of the great truths for human beings: we get out of life that which we put into it. She was blessed with unbelievably good health, which allowed her to, right up until the time that she was diagnosed with the brain cancer that took her life, walk three miles a day, clean people’s houses, mow her lawn, shovel her driveway and do all of the physical activities that she so loved. She was surrounded her entire life by family members who both loved and respected her. And she was able to live life on her terms and to accomplish those goals, which she held dear. The Winter Harbor community has suffered a terrible loss. The hole left by her passing is a big one and there is no one who can fill it. She, however, would want us all to grieve, to remember her and to go forth doing good acts filled with kindness, generosity and love. Services will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, at Greenwood Cemetery, Winter Harbor. A gathering will be held immediately afterward at Winter Harbor Masonic Hall, School Street. Althea request-ed that in lieu of flowers, donations be given to Gouldsboro Fire Auxiliary, P.O. Box 68, Prospect Harbor, ME 04669 and Yesterday’s Children, P.O. Box 829, Ellsworth, ME 04605.
ALTHEA M. RAY
