Marilyn L. Ray

Marilyn L. Ray, 85, died on May 19 after a lengthy illness. She was at home, in the house near Brooktondale where she and her husband had lived for over forty years. She is survived by her husband, Joel Ray, her daughter, Laurie Ray, and Laurie’s partner Heidi Tinnes. Her son Colin had died in 2024.

Marilyn grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Brown University, where she took a degree in art. After her marriage in 1961, she and Joel lived in North Carolina until the late sixties, when they moved to Potsdam, NY. In the north country Marilyn worked briefly as a probation officer, then established North Country Legal Services, which provided legal assistance to people who could not afford a lawyer, especially in their dealings with schools and government departments.

After she moved to Ithaca, Marilyn took a Ph.D. at Cornell and opened the Finger Lakes Law and Social Policy Center, which consulted with government and the courts. She ran the center for over thirty years.

Marilyn was a devoted Quaker. She headed the committee which found the present Friends Meeting House on Third St. in Ithaca, and was active in many facets of Quaker life and worship.

She loved architecture, and designed a small addition to the Brooktondale house that opened the interior and greatly increased the light.

She was a loving, encouraging wife and mother.

Burial will be private at Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve, and there will be a memorial later at the Friends Meeting House.