Raymond G. Bourassa

NEW BEDFORD — Raymond G. Bourassa, 88, passed away at home Sunday, October 14. "Ray" was the widower of Jeanne (Dufour) Bourassa.

Born on August 28, 1919, in New Bedford, Ray was a 1938 graduate of New Bedford High School and a lifelong resident of the North End.

He was the retired proprietor of Bourassa's Hardware, the family firm founded by his father in October 1924 and continued today by his children. Many attribute the survival of the small independent store to the strong values of fairness, friendliness and customer service that Ray instilled.

Ray was a "people person" who many said "never met a stranger." Everywhere he went, he delighted in meeting the countless friends and acquaintances he had made through his business and community involvement.

Ray had a lifelong love of music and with his wife, Jeanne, enjoyed attending area concerts. The couple met and married in 1948 when both were in the St. Joseph's Church Choir. Ray was a soloist whose bass baritone filled the church with impressive renditions of Ave Maria, Panis Angelicus and other music. He also was a member of the New Bedford Men's Glee Club.

Ray's involvement in the church and larger community spanned many decades.

He early on served in several leadership roles at St. Joseph's Parish, where he belonged to the Sacred Heart League and later served as a Eucharistic minister at St. Therese's Church. Ray had served on the board of directors of the New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce and the North End Business Association and he was a member of several citizens advisory committees to the mayor in the 1980s.

An avid reader, Ray enjoyed biographies of political, historical and religious figures. Among his other passions and pastimes were the Red Sox, politics, gardening and bird-watching, and dining out and traveling with his family.

Throughout the years, Ray particularly was fond of taking his family on road trips in the family station wagon. Whether the destination was Vermont, New Hampshire and the Berkshires in the fall foliage season, Quebec or other destinations, family trips were characterized by singing, political discussions and numerous stops at historical sites.

Ray also loved dining out with his wife, children and grandchildren. Among their most popular haunts were Davy's Locker, Pa Raffa's, Cerulli's and Freestone's.

Ray was a hero with an ample supply of inner strength, and he was always willing to step up to the plate for his family. This was best illustrated when his wife, Jeanne, had a stroke in 1997. Refusing to let her go into a nursing home, Ray cared for her for nine years in their home until she passed away on July 24, 2006.

Ray is survived by five children: Janine Vanderburg and her husband, Marshall, of Denver, Colorado; Donald Bourassa and his wife, Phyllis, of Denver, Colorado; Robert Bourassa and his wife, Martha, of Barrington, Rhode Island; Therese Bourassa-Bernier and her husband, Robert, of Acushnet; and Gerard Bourassa and his wife, MaryAngel, of New Bedford. He is also survived by four granddaughters: Sarah Bourassa; Jeannie Vanderburg; Jacqueline Vanderburg; and Veronica Bernier; and one grandson, Philip Lawrence and his wife, Karen. Survivors also include a nephew, Normand Bourassa and his wife, Kathy; and brothers and sisters-in-law, Marielle and Dr. George Magnant; Donald and Muriel Dufour; and Gerard and Monica Ethier.

Visiting hours will be from 4 to 8 p.m., on Wednesday, October 17, at Rock Funeral Home, 1285 Ashley Blvd. The funeral Mass will be Thursday, October 18. Mourners will meet at Rock Funeral Home at 9 a.m., and proceed to St. Joseph/St. Therese Church for the 10 a.m. funeral Mass.

Contributions in Ray's honor may be made to Community Nurse & Hospice Care of Fairhaven.