Adelaide Ray obituary

Adelaide Ray Photo:

Adelaide Ray younger

Adelaide Ray Photo:

Adelaide Ray

REGION -- On November 20, 2010, Adelaide Ray went home to be with her beloved Conrad on the day of their wedding, 69 years ago.

Adelaide wanted her life to “count” and yet it is the hundreds of lives she touched who count themselves richer for having known her.

Adelaide Dubois Poland was born in Boston to Alida (Riley) Poland and Everett Fletcher Poland. As a young girl, she was raised in a loving family and grew up involved in church, community, school, and social events in Needham, MA. She began summering in Hartford at the beautiful camp Green Acres, when she was three and has been a part of the Maine landscape ever since.

In 1931, she met Conrad Ray at the Canton Variety and they married 10 years later in Mississippi where Conrad was stationed with the Army Air Corps. Adelaide thrilled to all things military and was contributing to a WWII documentary of her husband’s bomber squadron shortly before her death.

Interviews found on LETTERS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?y=rFKBW5-GdDI and PEARL

HARBOR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CnsLF6LvGs.

Adelaide brought beautiful threads to the social fabric in Maine with her involvement in gardening, book clubs, supporting the arts, the high school gifted and talented program, 20 years on the local school board and the highlight of her later years - Searchlight Club. She supported life-long learning, was a voracious reader and student of languages. Adelaide loved to spar using her skill with words as her boxing gloves.

She was never far from her dictionary and was a resource to people who called from across the country to ask about the Latin root of a word or to get help with a crossword puzzle clue. On a recent trip to Europe she managed to use all three phrases she knew in each of 8 languages to much laughter from fellow tourists.

Adelaide loved to travel and whether it was visiting friends, attending conferences with her husband or globe-trotting in her senior years – her bag was always packed, with snacks and prune juice, and ready to hit the road.

On her journey through life, Adelaide didn’t just collect pictures and memories, she collected friends and admirers. Her ability to make people feel welcome, her love of a good party, her skill as a hostess and her wit and grace lured people from all over the world to her little corner of Maine.

Stories have been written and movies have been made that chronicled the extraordinary person who was Adelaide Ray. We love you, we miss you and we will never forget you. As you said to your family the night before you died, “Good Night, Sleep Well, Safe Journey”.

Adelaide was predeceased by her husband, Conrad A. Ray. She is survived by her sister, Virginia Macfarland; sons, Conrad Ray II and his wife, Anne of Hartford, Stephen Ray and his wife, Doris of Norway, Richard Ray and his wife, Diane of Canton.

Adelaide was “Auntie” to her much loved nieces and nephew, Scott Macfarland, Alida Gowell, Lynn Izzi, Laurie Tidswell and “Grand Auntie” to their families. She held a special spot in her heart for Leslie (Poland) Boness (cousin) and Adelaide left a strong mark on her adoring grandchildren Kathleen Seeley, Kelley McDaniel, Emily Ray and Christopher Ray; and great-grandchildren Alisha, Emma, Madison, Otrell and Aedin.

Special thanks to Nancy Demings, Linda from Pine Tree Home Health and the Androscoggin Home Health & Hospice team for their support during her final weeks.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Dixfield Congregational Church in Dixfield with Rev. John Gensel officiating. Gifts may be given in Adelaide’s memory to the River Valley Animal Advocates, P.O. Box 628, Canton, ME 04221. Interment will be at a later date at the Canton Pine Grove Cemetery.