1947 – 2016

SOUTH PARIS — Stephen E. Ray, 69, was a beloved teacher, husband, father and grandfather. He died at his home in South Paris on Monday, Sept. 26, after a long illness.

Stephen Edward Ray was born in Boston, Mass., in 1947, the second of three sons for Conrad Alan and Adelaide Poland Ray. He and his brothers attended schools in Canton and various towns in Massachusetts in the 1950s and 1960s. Steve loved growing up in the ’60s. He loved the idealism of the times. He graduated from Ipswich High in 1966 and from the University of Maine at Orono with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1970. It was an exciting time for a percipient historian to live.

During the summer of 1969, Steve backpacked through Europe, an experience that deepened his understanding of the world.

In the spring of 1979, Steve posted a personals ad in the Maine Times: “Tired of the games? Bachelor, 31, wants to meet perceptive woman who values honesty. Sharing feelings isn’t easy, but without it no communication takes place.” Doris Adeline Grandbois, 30, answered the ad. They married two years later. Doris had two daughters, Kathleen, 11 and Kelley, 10. Steve eventually adopted Doris’ younger daughter and in the subsequent years, she cherished every time he referred to her as “my daughter Kelley.”

Steve loved teaching and he loved his students. He taught social studies at the former Higgins Classical Institute and Leavitt Junior High during the 1970s, but he spent the bulk of his career teaching history at Oxford Hills High School in South Paris (1981-2008). Steve found teaching an exhilarating profession. He always said that the word “education” derived from Latin “educo” meaning “lead or draw out” and he was a master of the Socratic method, having students question and reflect on their opinions and ideas. “History is an examination of the ideals and values that shape our culture,” he would say.

Between 1992 and 1996, Steve enjoyed Civil War re-enacting with the 20th Maine Company B, but his “military career” ended when he had a heart attack on the battlefield at Gettysburg in 1996 and he decided to retire back into the 20th century. Steve enjoyed visiting Civil War battle sites and he and his wife also retraced numerous westward trails: Lewis and Clark, Oregon and Santa Fe. For their 30th anniversary, they sailed the Queen Mary across the Atlantic to Southampton, England, and they visited battlefields that Steve had always wanted to see: Waterloo and Ardennes in Belgium.

Steve’s knowledge and appreciation of history were evident in every aspect of his life. He had a deep cognizance of the time in which he lived, as well as its place in history, and he taught through that lens. His understanding of history was very personal.

He is survived by his wife, Doris Ray; his daughter, Kelley McDaniel; two grandchildren: Otrell McDaniel, 20, and Aedin McDaniel, 16; and his brothers, Conrad Alan Ray Jr. and Richard Owen Ray.

Online condolences may be shared with his family at www.chandlerfunerals.com.