Raymond Paul Bouchard, 90, of Flagler Beach, FL passed away June 6, 2021. Born in Colchester, VT, on June 30, 1930, to Emile and Georgianna Tougas Bouchard, both French Canadian. Ray grew up in Fairfield, CT where he graduated from Fairfield University (1952) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. Upon graduating, Ray was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and soon deployed to Bitburg, Germany for three years with the 1st Tactical Missile Squadron. Upon return, he was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, CO where he was part of the inaugural faculty of the US Air Force Academy. There he met his beloved wife Mary, while skiing. They married on July 5, 1958, in Mary’s hometown of Freeport, Long Island. He was hired by General Electric (GE) as a project engineer in Syracuse, NY. In 1963, GE transferred him to their new facility in Daytona Beach, FL to work with NASA on the up-and-coming Apollo program.
Ray and Mary raised their family of six children (one boy and five girls) in Ormond Beach, FL and were active members of St. Brendan Catholic Church where Ray sang in the choir among many other ministries. After 32 years at GE, Ray took an early retirement and spent the next 20 years volunteering for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Volusia County where he served as President and as a Board member throughout those years. Ray was a man of service who loved lending a hand whether at church, building houses, or at the school activities of his children, especially at Father Lopez High School. He is preceded in death by his parents, brother, Richard Bouchard and sister, Claire Flaherty Riley. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Mary; sister, Marcelle Conrad; and six children, Paul Bouchard (Terry), Susan Chappuis (Scott), Jane Doig (Victor), Nancy Skala (Paul), Laura Hughes (Robert), and Catherine Zenko (Frank), and thirteen wonderful grandchildren survive him: Randall, Mary Kate, Maxwell, Jessica, Samuel, George, Jackson, Tyler, Amy, Paul Raymond, Charles, Spencer, and Abbey.
Ray leaves behind a legacy of service and integrity, always demonstrating the importance of a strong work ethic, fiscal responsibility, and love for God and family.
The family would like to thank the staff at Tuscan Gardens of Palm Coast for taking such good care of Ray (and Mary) and to Kindred Hospice for providing two angels on earth, Jan and Jean, who took such good care of Ray and his entire family in his final days.
Arrangements are being handled by Volusia Memorial Funeral Home. A wake will be held on Friday June 18th from 4- 6 pm at Volusia Memorial Funeral Home - 548 N Nova Rd., Ormond Beach, FL 32174. A funeral mass will be held at St. Brendan Catholic Church
on Saturday, June 19th at 11 am - 1000 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach, FL 32176.
In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting Habitat for Humanity of Greater Volusia County in honor of Ray: https://www.habitat.org/support/honor-memorial-gifts
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