GLOUCESTER: Ray Friend Bentley, 80, died Saturday, December 17, 2011 in the Addison Gilbert Hospital. He was the husband of Sheila (Stoddard) Bentley with whom he shared twenty-five years of marriage.
Born in Gloucester on January 7, 1931, he was the son of the late John “Joe” Bentley, former Truant Officer for the City of Gloucester and the late Eleanor (Friend) Bentley, former Central Grammar School teacher. He was a graduate of Gloucester High School class of 1949, where he was voted “Most Musical.” He was also a graduate of Wesleyan University, Harvard Graduate School and Antioch College.
Ray was employed as an Editor for the Beacon Press and Houghton Mifflin for many years. While living in New York, he worked at Scholastic Books and The Ford Foundation. In addition to working at the First National Store (now Shaw’s on Eastern Avenue), the Studio and the former Rockaway Hotel, he worked as a Family Therapist and a Substance Abuse Counselor at the former Project NUVA and was the children’s librarian for the Town of Rockport for several years. He also created the publishing company “Folly Cove Books,” which were sold locally.
Active in a poetry group and mens’ group, he was a long time Meals-on-Wheels volunteer and tutored/enriched children in reading. He also dabbled in various religions, loved marshes, owned several small boats, enjoyed taking his children fishing and playing baseball with them the the back yard. He was also a great sports fan and enjoyed traveling. He was strongly anti-war and had bumper stickers “Nobody Died When Clinton Lied” and “Stop This Endless War”. He was clearly ahead of his time.
The family wishes to thank Dr. Arsenian, the staff of Steele I / ICU and the MGH Cardiac surgeons who gave him twenty-three, mostly quality years of his life.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter, Larissa (Bentley) Raher of Gloucester; a son, Alex Bentley and his wife, Tanya of Pacific Palisades, CA; three grandchildren, Jack and Sarah Bentley and Amy Raher; a sister, Fay Lawler; a brother, John Bentley and his wife, Betty; a niece, Nancy Lawler; two nephews, Jim Bentley and Mil Lawler and his first wife, Susan Harrington. He was also predeceased by a sister, Ruth Bentley.
A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2012 in the Pike-Grondin Funeral Home, 61 Middle Street, Gloucester at 11 a.m. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 10 – 11 a.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to the Sawyer Free Library, c/o Carol Gray, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930 to benefit the Children’s Library.