Raymond Rhodes “Ray” Mackean

MacKean; Raymond Rhodes “Ray”, . It is with great sadness, yet grateful for a life well lived, the family of Ray announces his peaceful passing on June 27, 2023, at his residence at The Andrews of Summerside, PEI. At the age of 98.
Ray, and his twin Bob, were born on June 18, 1925 in Aspen, Guysborough County, to parents Thomas C. and Mabel (Boggs) MacKean.
When the twins were very young the family moved to Liverpool, NS, where they lived in various houses around the town. Ray wrote a book titled “The Houses we Lived In”, where he tells much of the MacKean history in Liverpool, as well as all the antics the twins got up to! Like many young men at that time, Ray signed up for the military. He wanted to be a sailor, but there were more men than boats, so he ended up in the army. He went to Aldershot for basic training, but just before shipping out he got into a tussle, and ended up in a cast, with a broken ankle. He wasn’t able to ship out before war’s end. His mother was very pleased! After the war, Ray attended Acadia University, where one day a woman named Gwen Campbell invited him to a “Sadie Hawkins” dance, and the rest, as they say, is history! They made an excellent dance team, wowing everyone with their jitterbug skills. Ray and Gwen were married on September 5, 1951, in Plaster Rock, NB, which was Gwen’s hometown. Shortly after marriage, Ray received his Civil Engineering degree from what is now called DalTech, and they moved to Montreal to start his career at Dominion Bridge. They moved to the west island, settling in Pointe Claire. They had 3 children, Tom, Peter, and Candace; and Gwen was a stay home mom until their youngest started school. In the early 70s Ray started a new job, and they moved back to the Maritimes, settling in Riverview, NB. While living in Riverview, Ray and Gwen built a beautiful cottage in Stanley Bridge, PEI, overlooking New London Bay. When Ray retired, the cottage became their full-time home. During their time in PEI, they became “snowbirds”, travelling to various locations on the Gulf coast of Florida. Ray and Gwen made several moves over the next few years, from PEI to Moncton, from Caribou shores to Halifax, and finally to Parkland at the Gardens in 2014. Sadly, in November, 2020, Gwen passed away. Ray made a couple more moves but finally settled in Summerside near his son Peter.
Have we mentioned golf? No story about Ray is complete without talking about his love of golf! He started out caddying at White Point Golf Club when he was 10, and continued until his last game in October 2022, at Red Sands in PEI. He always gave good tips on how to improve your swing.
Ray was a great Dad. Being a dad in the 50s and 60s usually meant being mostly absent, but that was not the case with him. He was like the local taxi service for us kids, and our friends. He was totally involved and had an upbeat and fun disposition. As his nephew recently said, we should all try to emulate his “joie de vivre”. We’re going to miss you Dad, but we’re happy knowing you are back with Mom doing the jitterbug, or is it golf you’re doing?
Ray is survived by his loving children, Tom, Dr Peter (Carolyn), and Candace; and grandchildren, Danya O’Malley (Cale, Alex, Hayden and Colin), Jaclyn Clow (Jared), Ainslie Armsworthy (Jason, Kierra, and Jack), and Harry Armsworthy (Sophie), and Harry’s dad Bill, who was always very kind to Ray and Gwen. Ray is also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins, and was very close to them.
Ray was predeceased by his beloved wife of 69 years, Gwen (Gwennie). He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his sisters Katherine (Kay), Pauline (Pauly) Harding, Adelaide Lavers, Helen Currie, Josephine (Joie) Gray, and brothers Lloyd and Robert (Bob). In recent years he enjoyed MacKean cousin reunions, organized by nephews Ron and Craig, and their families. This involved crib tournaments, Summerville Beach time, lot of laughs, and of course, golf at White Point.
Arrangements under the care and direction of Chandler’s Funeral Service, Liverpool, NS. Funeral service will be Tuesday, July 4, at 11:00 at the Liverpool United Baptist Church, followed by a brief ceremony at the White Point Cemetery. Pastor Noah Lohnes officiating. Online condolences may be made to www.chandlersfuneral.com
The family would like to thank all the staff at The Andrews for the excellent care they provided to our father in the last 2 years.