Joseph George Ray papers (MSS-0132)

Biographical/Historical Note

Joseph George Ray was born on January 29, 1924, in West Warwick, RI. He was the third child of Frank and Mary Ray, both of whom immigrated to the US from the island of São Miguel in the Azores between 1890-1900. Ray married Mary Lillian Furtado on June 28, 1947, at Saint Anthony’s Church in West Warwick. The couple had one daughter, Marie, born September 3, 1950. Ray served in the US army during WWII from March 1943 to October 1945. He was assigned as an automotive mechanic while training in the 623rd Light Equipment Company in Mississippi before traveling to Liverpool, England and crossing the English Channel into Normandy on Omaha Beach. During his duty, Ray participated in at least 41 motor marches across Europe. He was honorably discharged in 1945 as a Sergeant and awarded the Good Conduct Medal and European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal Campaign Ribbon. Upon returning home to West Warwick, Ray began work at the Valley Lace Company as a lace weaver. He devoted a great deal of time in promoting the lace industry in RI as part of the Project Leavers Lace Initiative and by gaining the support of Governor Chafee in proclaiming May 1-6, 1966 as Rhode Island Leavers Lace Week. Ray retired at age 60 and took to woodcarving for some time until the onset of Parkinson’s Disease made this work too difficult. Ray wrote numerous poems about his life and loved ones and made significant contributions to articles written by Amby Smith for the Kent Daily Times. Many of his poems were featured in the newsletter run by the Villa at St. Antoines, the assisted living facility where he spent his later years. Joseph George Ray passed away on February 25th, 2012.