JUDY GUAY

BANGOR – Judy Guay, 64, passed away peacefully at a Bangor hospital, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006. Her best friend and husband, Ron, was at her side, and she was surrounded by her loving children, other relatives and friends. Judy was born Judith Ann Rand, Aug. 21, 1941, in Bangor and grew up in Old Town. In 1960 she met Ron Guay and they were married Feb. 3, 1961. Judy Guay will be remembered by thousands of Maine people whose lives she touched during a lifetime filled with service to some of the state’s most underserved citizens. In the early 1970s she and several of her friends founded the Community of Pride, based in the Capehart neighborhood of Bangor where she and Ron raised their family. In 1979 she became one of the first women to serve on the Bangor School Committee, winning by a landslide write-in vote. Judy served on numerous boards of organizations devoted to community service and economic justice: her motto was ‘Peace, bread, and justice.” She was the longest tenured member of the board of Pine Tree Legal Services, having served continuously since 1981 including two separate terms as president. She also served on the boards of Haymarket Fund and Maine Initiatives, among others. She spent more than 15 years working with Aid for Families with Dependent Children through her job with Catholic Charities and played an active role in developing the TANF program that superseded AFDC. She was also active in the Coalition for Economic Justice, the Maine Women’s Fund and Pine Tree Folk School, where she helped form People’s Theater, an improvisational troupe that performed for and with people living on public assistance. In 1981, Judy was one of the founders of Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhoods, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of all Maine citizens. As president, she led MAIN to become one of the most effective advocacy groups in the state, training low-income residents to testify before the Maine legislature on their own behalf. In 1983, she was named Public Citizen of the Year by Maine’s chapter of the National Association of Social Work. She also was the recipient of the Mary Ann Hartman Award from the University of Maine’s Women in Curriculum program and Helping Hands Award from the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine. In May of this year she will be an honored recipient of the Mabel Wadsworth Award. Judy was predeceased by her parents, Albert and Evelyn Rand and Ruth Dunn; her brothers, Albert Jr. and John Rand; and her first child, Jody Lynn. She is survived by her husband, Ron; her sisters, Jean Burke, Rose Sack; her brother, Cliff Rand; her children and their spouses, Terri, Rick, Tammi, Bubba, Neil, Angela, Kent, Rini, John, Stacy, Charlie, Vivian, Ronald Jr., Denise, Pam, Andy, Greg and Vicky; by her grandchildren, Ricky, Katy, Kristin, Joseph, Brent, Michael, Ashley, Cameron, Kirin, Ronnie, Zach, Taeya, Shawn, Misty, Tommy, Joshua, Matthew and Jordan; by her great-grandson, Charlie. A funeral will be held for Judy Guay 11 a.m. Friday, March 3, at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor. The service will be officiated by Rev. Dr. Mark Allen Doty of Hammond Street Congregational Church, where Judy and Ron were members of the congregation for many years. Friends may call 10-11 a.m. Friday. A reception will follow at Brookings-Smith Family Center after the service. Friends are welcome to bring finger foods to share. Those who wish to remember Judy in a special way are invited to contribute to the Judy Guay Memorial Fund which has been established by Pine Tree Legal Services. Checks made payable to Pine Tree can be brought to the service or mailed to PTLS, PO Box 547, Portland ME 04112. A memorial celebration of Judy’s life is being planned for this spring, at which time Judy will be interred at Mount Hope Cemetery.