Obituary for Raymond Shorey
Farmington - Raymond E. Shorey, 90, of Oquossoc, Maine, passed away peacefully in the early hours of January 24, 2021. Ray was born April 30, 1930 in Hollis Center, Maine, the son of Carleton and Ruby Shorey. He was a 1949 graduate of Thornton Academy, where he boarded with the headmaster’s family for two years. In 1951 he met and married Elizabeth (Betty) Baade. In 1957, Ray and Betty settled in Scarborough, Maine, where they raised their six children.
A firm believer in the value of hard work, Ray never willingly passed up a chance to earn an honest dollar. A member of Teamster Local 340, he drove a tractor-trailer for St. Johnsbury Trucking until his first “retirement” in 1985. During the 1980s, Ray and Betty owned and operated Cupsuptic Lake Campground in Rangeley, Maine, which they greatly enjoyed and where they made many good friends.
Following retirement from the campground business, Ray continued to work hard, selling firewood and acting as winter caretaker for summer homes in Oquossoc. Selling firewood included cutting, splitting, loading, and delivery, but Ray did not “retire” from that business until after he reached 80 years of age. Subsequently finding too much time on his hands, Ray became a sales representative for Texas Refinery Corp., calling on customers throughout four counties. Although he enjoyed being active, meeting people, and developing new customers, Ray finally retired for good as he approached his 90th birthday. In addition to his relentless work ethic, Ray felt an obligation to serve his country and community. He joined the Maine National Guard in 1949, training over many years at Forts in Oklahoma, New Jersey, Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Kansas, retiring as Lieutenant Colonel in 1981. He enjoyed his military service, believing “it made him a better man." In recent years he took on the responsibility of placing American flags recognizing military service on graves in Evergreen Cemetery in Rangeley each Memorial Day.
Ray was a member of the Scarborough Volunteer Fire Department for many years. After moving to Rangeley, he joined the local Fire Department, Snowmobile Club, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, and the Rangeley Guides and Sportsman Association. Having grown up in rural York County, Ray combined a love of the outdoors with an inclination toward self-sufficiency. Every year he cut and split his own firewood and cultivated a vegetable garden. He went deer hunting every fall, in part just to enjoy being out in the woods. When the day’s work was done, Ray especially loved sitting on the porch of his log home in the woods, smoking his pipe and telling stories to visiting friends and family.
Over the course of his long life, Ray mourned the deaths of his wife Betty, his son Carl, his parents, and siblings Warren, Carleton Jr., Bill, and Ruth Travers. He is survived by children Susan, Stephen, Raymond Jr. (“Rusty”), Brian, and Katherine Shorey, grandchildren Rebecca, Jessica, and Michaela Shorey, Zebulon Dingley, and Nathan McConnell, sister Linda Tilton, and many nieces and nephews.
Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, services are postponed until spring, tentatively scheduled for May 15 in Rangeley, details will be announced. Memories may be shared in his Book of Memories at www.wilesrc.com. Funeral services are being care for by the Wiles Remembrance Center: Adams~McFarlane Chapel, 137 Farmington Falls Road, Farmington.
A firm believer in the value of hard work, Ray never willingly passed up a chance to earn an honest dollar. A member of Teamster Local 340, he drove a tractor-trailer for St. Johnsbury Trucking until his first “retirement” in 1985. During the 1980s, Ray and Betty owned and operated Cupsuptic Lake Campground in Rangeley, Maine, which they greatly enjoyed and where they made many good friends.
Following retirement from the campground business, Ray continued to work hard, selling firewood and acting as winter caretaker for summer homes in Oquossoc. Selling firewood included cutting, splitting, loading, and delivery, but Ray did not “retire” from that business until after he reached 80 years of age. Subsequently finding too much time on his hands, Ray became a sales representative for Texas Refinery Corp., calling on customers throughout four counties. Although he enjoyed being active, meeting people, and developing new customers, Ray finally retired for good as he approached his 90th birthday. In addition to his relentless work ethic, Ray felt an obligation to serve his country and community. He joined the Maine National Guard in 1949, training over many years at Forts in Oklahoma, New Jersey, Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Kansas, retiring as Lieutenant Colonel in 1981. He enjoyed his military service, believing “it made him a better man." In recent years he took on the responsibility of placing American flags recognizing military service on graves in Evergreen Cemetery in Rangeley each Memorial Day.
Ray was a member of the Scarborough Volunteer Fire Department for many years. After moving to Rangeley, he joined the local Fire Department, Snowmobile Club, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, and the Rangeley Guides and Sportsman Association. Having grown up in rural York County, Ray combined a love of the outdoors with an inclination toward self-sufficiency. Every year he cut and split his own firewood and cultivated a vegetable garden. He went deer hunting every fall, in part just to enjoy being out in the woods. When the day’s work was done, Ray especially loved sitting on the porch of his log home in the woods, smoking his pipe and telling stories to visiting friends and family.
Over the course of his long life, Ray mourned the deaths of his wife Betty, his son Carl, his parents, and siblings Warren, Carleton Jr., Bill, and Ruth Travers. He is survived by children Susan, Stephen, Raymond Jr. (“Rusty”), Brian, and Katherine Shorey, grandchildren Rebecca, Jessica, and Michaela Shorey, Zebulon Dingley, and Nathan McConnell, sister Linda Tilton, and many nieces and nephews.
Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, services are postponed until spring, tentatively scheduled for May 15 in Rangeley, details will be announced. Memories may be shared in his Book of Memories at www.wilesrc.com. Funeral services are being care for by the Wiles Remembrance Center: Adams~McFarlane Chapel, 137 Farmington Falls Road, Farmington.