Jean (Boucher) Ray

In 1948 Jean graduated from Watertown High School and went on to get an advanced degree from Perry School of Business. She worked in an administrative capacity with Powers & Hume in Waterbury for a few years before marrying her late husband Robert A. Ray in September of 1952. She left work and dedicated herself to raising four children, George (Debra) of Manhattan Beach, CA, Robert M. (Deceased), Mrs. John (Cynthia) Halliwell of Watertown, and Patrick (Amy) of West Hartford.

In 1953, Jean and Robert bought a plot of land next to her parents on Center Street and her father built the house were Jean would spend the rest of her life.

She was kind, generous to a fault, loving, very creative, a good friend and incredibly stubborn. Jean had an encyclopedic knowledge of plants. Could look at a plant and tell you exactly what it needed. She was a founding member of the Waterbury Garden Club and even started her own business doing floral arrangements for weddings and special events. Many an evening she would take up the entire kitchen and work all night to make sure that the floral arrangements were done perfectly for a wedding ceremony the next morning.

Jean made a number of friends in grade school that she had for life. One of her favorite things to do early on in her marriage was to have dinner parties at her home on weekend nights that would go on into the early morning hours. She was a good cook and loved to socialize.

In September of 1976 she lost her 21 year old son Robert in a motorcycle accident near Bantam Lake which sent her on a lifelong quest for answers. Jean would spend each morning meditating and was a voracious reader of books that helped her get through this difficult time along with the support of her sons, daughter, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces and friends.

It was also Jean’s family and friends that supported her when her husband passed away from a heart attack in May of 1989. For years her daughter Cindy and son Patrick did errands for her to make sure she had everything she needed.

Her greatest joy at this time of her life was her six grandchildren, Jamie Halliwell of Northfield, CT, Lindsey (Halliwell) Luszczak of Torrington, CT, Courtney Ray of Manhattan Beach, CA and Brendan Ray of Playa Del Rey, CA, Parker and Hudson Ray of West Hartford. And her two great grandchildren, George and Hazel Ray of Playa Del Rey, CA.

Whether it was traveling through the Southwest U.S., California, and Hawaii with Courtney and Brendan, baking blueberry muffins and “getting the best hugs ever” from Parker and Hudson, or getting updated tech installed in her house to make her life easier by Jamie. She loved ever minute with all of them.

While the last 35 years Jean was alone, she was never lonely. She went back to work doing floral arrangements at Petals in Southbury, CT until it closed. She looked forward to her annual trips to upstate New York with her sister Charlotte and her brother in law, Jim. They would pick fruits and vegetables. Stop to have lunch and/or dinner. They would make a day of it and Jean always remembered those days fondly.

Her brother Ray would stop by and visit. She would also get regular calls and the occasional visit from her brother Al from Germany.

In the final years of her life, it was her sister Charlotte and granddaughter Jamie who stepped up as caregivers. Charlotte was her private chef and Jamie handled everything else.

While Jean will be missed by her myriad of friends and family, she will never be forgotten.