REMEMBERING RAY TYE
My husband, Ray Tye, died as he lived – in peace and with great dignity. I held
him in my arms as he took his final breath on this earth and I will hold him in my
heart and in my memories forever. He will carry me forward with the firm purpose
of continuing his legacy.
You will read in this newsletter about the immense impact Ray had on the world,
and I would like to tell you, additionally, a little about our marriage that was
characterized by happiness and many blessings. Great love stories have been
written in novels throughout the centuries, but none has surpassed the majesty
of what Ray and I lived privately on a daily basis. To simply say our lives were
blissful would tell only a fraction of the truth; it would be impossible to adequately
describe the loving partnership we shared on so many levels.
We relished every moment spent together and spoke often about how lucky we
were. The words “I love you” were spoken freely and often, and for us those words
were rich with significance. We held dear a prayer that we said together daily to
guide our married life and bring focus to what is important between two people
committed to a purposeful life together. I can vouch for its power and I would like
to share it with you:
Keep us, O Lord, from pettiness. Let us be thoughtful in word and deed.
Help us to put away pretense and face each other in deep trust without fear or self pity.
Help us to guard against fault-finding; let us be quick to discover the best
in each other and in every situation.
Guard us from ill temper and hasty judgement; encourage us to take time for all things; to
grow calm, serene and gentle.
Help us to be generous with kind words and compliments.
Teach us never to ignore, never to hurt, never to take each other for granted.
Engrave charity and compassion on our hearts.
My husband was a man who adored ritual, celebration and tradition. He found such
joy in helping to prepare for gatherings. He loved to set the table, polish the wine
glasses and help with the dishes. He was all about being together and cherishing
happy moments. As a man he was gentle, understanding and always affectionate;
he was infinitely supportive. He was soft spoken (except while watching the Red
Sox) and looked forward to small pleasures like a bowl of popcorn or a glass of
freshly-squeezed juice. It was so easy to make him happy.
We humans strive for perfection but find its grasp illusive. Few among us reach
the height of its calling, but I can tell you as Ray’s wife—his most intimate
companion—that he attained a pinnacle of that great virtue, inspiring us to follow
his lead in our dealings with the people we meet in this journey called life.
Let me assure you that the work of The Ray Tye Medical Aid Foundation will
continue with the same spirit, the same vigor and the same compassion it had
during my husband’s lifetime. He remains our guiding spirit; he was truly a light
upon this earth and now shines on us from his eternal home. As hard as it is
without him, we will move onward as Ray would have wished.
MAY GOD BLESS YOU.
Eileen Tye
February 11th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
DEAR MRS. TYE, IT WAS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOUR HUSBAND A FEW YEARS AGO. HE WAS AN AMAZING MAN AND VERY KIND TO GIVE US TIME. I BROUGHT A GIRL FROM BANGLADESH TO HAVE VALVE SURGERY AT CAPE COD HOSPITAL BECAUSE MR. TYE DONATED FUNDS TO HELP WITH THE SURGICAL COSTS.
“SUMA” HAS MARRIED SINCE THEN AND IS CARRYING ON LIFE IN A MUCH MORE HEALTHY STATE THANKS TO THE SURGERY.
YOU WERE BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL HUSBAND, AND I HOPE YOU ARE DOING WELL. IT MUST BE VERY HARD TO LOOSE SOMEONE SO DEAR.
GOD BLESS, JANE BROOKS
March 11th, 2011 at 10:05 am
Dear Mrs. Tye,
I never had the opportunity to meet your husband but I will be forever grateful to him. In 2005, he provided financial assistance for a 4 year old boy from Honduras, Noel, to have open heart surgery in a Boston hospital. Noel has since became my god son and a major part of my life. He is currently enrolled in a bilingual school in Comayagua, Honduras and is fluent english. I can’t imagine not having Noel in my life, which is why I’d like to thank both Mr. Tye and yourself for carrying on the wonderful work your foundation does.
Rick Lania
March 31st, 2011 at 8:44 pm
I am the great nephew of Morris and Mildred Burg. I remember with nostalgia and love how Ray ran the Pesach (Passover) Sedurim (Seders) when I was a lad. He took over after my Uncle Morris passed. Ray was a firm yet gentle leader. He read from the Hagaddah and directed everyone else in the telling of our historic exodus from the land of Egypt. His family was very young then, and since there were four to five children, plus myself, we could be a bit unruly, despite the traditional commandment to have four glasses of wine during the meal!
Today I am in my sixties, but thought retired from teaching Art, I am still going strong. I paint murals in Chicago-schools, synagogues and now I have been asked to paint a mural in Chicago Children’s Memorial Hospital, where a new complex is now under construction; My mural will be conceived by myself, the children patients, doctors and hospital staff. We will paint it inside the holding room, where the children wait to go into surgery. This is a great mitzvah for (a Blessing-Good Deed) for me.
I am an altruist, and perhaps my activities over the past thirty plus years were inspired by Uncle Morris and Ray Tye. Who knows?
April 11th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
It is so nice to know that there is still good people in the world today. So many days my wife and I wonder as our son has been in the hospital struggling for his life for the past year and two months, he suffers from cerebrial pulsey and seziure disorders and just a year ago had to have a feeding tube put in which his body is refusing. We lost his brother 2.5 years ago and now we put everything we have into Daniel. Again i want to say its soo nice knowing that there are people such as yourself helping us out. All our love and support goes out to all who struggle. God Bless !
August 20th, 2011 at 12:49 am
I am Ella Patricia’s mom, the 7 year old girl from the Philippines who benefited for a free open heart surgery in Tufts New England Medical Center. I am so sorry but I wasnt able to thank you personnaly during our 3 months stay in New England. Ella was operated last December of 2006 and now, she’s 11 and growing healthy and pretty. Thanks to all of you for all the help you have extended to our Ella and to our family.
November 12th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
I am very touched by the message of Eileen Tye. God bless the memory of your husband, Mrs. Tye and God bless your carrying on of his giving. Thank you for your anticipated response to my request, as i have explored, requested, investigated as many avenues as i can think of and have not experienced success in finding what i need.