Raymond Parry Jr.

Parry, Jr., Raymond W.
Parry, Raymond W. Jr., age 86, of Fairfield, passed away Thursday, April 16, 2015 at Gaylord Specialty Healthcare in Wallingford. He was born in Bridgeport to the late Raymond W. and Marie (Cosgrove) Parry, and was a resident of Fairfield since 1959. Ray married the late Ann (Senchak) Parry in 1952, and was proud to be her husband for more than 60 years before she passed away in 2013.
Ray is survived by his loving children whom he was so proud of: sons, Kevin Parry and his wife, Calle Bailey of Brattleboro, VT and Timothy Parry and his wife, Ursula of Bridgeport; her daughters, Deborah Liptak and her husband, Steve of Fort Worth, TX and Maura Cain and her husband, John of Tuscaloosa, AL. He will also be missed by his cherished grandchildren, Adriane Lovern and her husband, Kenny of Justin, TX, Audrey of Bedford, TX, Jonathan Liptak of Denton, TX, Sgt. Matthew Parry of the United States Army, Jeffrey Parry of Fairfield, Julia and Anna Cain of Tuscaloosa, AL and William Parry of Bridgeport; and great-granddaughters, Eve and Cassie Fedorovich of Albuquerque, NM.
In addition to his parents and wife, he was predeceased by his son, James Parry; granddaughter, Melissa Pinion and great-granddaughter, Ashley Jo Robinson.
Ray graduated from Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport in 1947 and was proud to be a member of Fairfield University's first graduating class in 1951. Ray earned his Masters in 1957 and sixth-year certificate in 1960, also from Fairfield. A beloved science teacher at New Canaan High School from 1959 to 1990, Ray also served as an assistant football coach for the Rams from 1959 to 1967, and ran the athletic department's ticket operations from 1968 to 1990. Ray also served as New Canaan's equipment manager from 1980 to 1990. Ray is also credited with starting New Canaan High School's summer learning program, as well as the New Canaan Summer Theater program.
After retiring from New Canaan Public Schools, Ray served as equipment manager for Western Connecticut State University's athletic department from 1990 to 2001. He was heavily involved in the transition of the school's athletic department from aging facilities at the school's Midtown Campus to its location at the O'Neil Center at the WCSU Westside Campus, and assisted in the design and configuration of the equipment facilities there. He was inducted into WCSU's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009 for his lifetime support to the Colonials athletic department.
Ray also taught with the National Science Foundation, both at Yale and Brown, and was a Master Teacher at Yale. He was also an assistant professor at University of Bridgeport.
A veteran, Parry served in the United States Navy from 1951 to 1955 as an E5 hospital corpsman 2nd class, and served aboard the U.S.S. Iowa during the Korean Conflict. He was a member of American Legion Post#143.
Friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, April 20, 2015 at 10:00AM at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Interment to follow in St. Thomas Cemetery with Military Honors. Visitation will take place on Sunday, April 19, 2015 from 1-5PM at the Funeral Home. Donations may be made in his memory to the Fairfield Fire Dept., Local 1426, P.O. Box 261, , Fairfield, CT 06824. To send an online condolence, please visit www.shaughnesseybanks.com.