Jay John Ray
AUGUSTA – Jay John Ray, 69, devoted father and grandfather, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, April 5, 2024.
Jay was born in Waterville on June 30, 1954, to Eugene Papolas and Irene Ray. Most of his childhood was spent in Waterville before moving to Augusta. He attended Cony High School where he met the love of his life, Debra “Debbie” Reny.
Although he enjoyed playing various sports as a child, it wasn’t until he was a teenager that he realized his passion for weightlifting. This passion led to Jay’s Gym, located on Water Street in Augusta. It was open for 10 years, closing in the early ’90s.
Jay was deeply dedicated to his work in property management. With a strong work ethic, his commitment to excellence earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues and clients alike. He was known for his reliability, his willingness to go above and beyond to get the job done, and his genuine care for the well-being of the people he served.
In the late ’80s, he was actively involved in local politics, serving Ward 4 on the Augusta City Council. He possessed a fervent commitment to improving the lives of his fellow citizens.
Jay held a special place in his heart for the most important role of all: Father and Pépère. To him, there was no greater joy than spending time with his grandchildren.
Jay is survived by his four children, Nikolas and wife Kimberly Ray, Elese and husband Dan Poirier, Ellen and husband Cory Barnett, Emily and husband Eben Gilman; and his eight grandchildren, Lucy, Kaia, Cy, Grayson, Kora, Grace, Alanna and Adelynn.
Jay was predeceased by his wife, Debbie; his father, Eugene, his mother, Irene; and his beloved Rottweiler, BoBo.
Per Jay’s request, there will be no funeral or memorial service.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at DirectCremationofMaine.com.
In lieu of flowers, those who desire may make donations to honor his behalf to the:
Howell House
44 Sewall St.
Augusta, ME 04330
The Howell House is a senior living residence where Jay resided for the past year, enjoying the
sense of community and lunchtime banter.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Share your condolences, kind words and remembrances below. You must be logged into the website to comment. Subscribers, please login. Not a subscriber? Register to comment for free or subscribe to support our work.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.