Ray Burnett Gish

He was born in Whitesburg, Kentucky, on June 27, 1965, the youngest child of Tom and Pat Gish. From an early age Ray was intimately involved with running the family’s newspaper, the Mountain Eagle, one of the most important journalistic endeavors of our era. He spoke often of his parents’ commitment to social, environmental, and worker justice and of their bravery in the face of corruption and threats. The Gish family’s deep love for central Appalachia nurtured Ray’s devotion to the fair and the good. He was extremely proud of his heritage, and during his many visits to Kentucky, he loved to bring along friends so they could revel in the beauty of his homeland.

Ray graduated from Whitesburg High School in 1983 and attended Haverford College in Pennsylvania. There he became the center of a knot of friends who shared his passions for music, activism, storytelling, and melodrama. Over the course of 40 years, these friendships held strong, becoming another version of family, welcoming in children and partners, creating a legacy of commitment and love.

By the mid-1980s, Ray’s determination to build a better, more just world spurred him to become a canvass director and organizer for Greenpeace. He led campaigns for environmental justice all over the country, inspired countless others to join the fight, and made many more lifelong friends. He was a passionate advocate and a creative strategist. His home base during this time was San Francisco, which remained a special place for him for the rest of his life.

Ray moved to Brooklyn in 1994 where he quickly gained even more friends and fans—and also met Stephen Peloquin, whom, to everyone’s joy, he married in 2014. Ray was a pillar of the Park Slope community, holding court behind the bars of legendary establishments, culminating in his founding of Commonwealth Bar in 2004. In the 20 years since it opened, Commonwealth has been a welcoming watering hole, an auxiliary living room for the neighborhood, a campaign headquarters, and, famously, a destination for music aficionados to explore Ray’s expertly curated jukebox.

Ray is survived by his beloved husband, Stephen Peloquin. On the Gish side, he leaves behind his sister Sarah Gish Oakes and her husband Freddy Oakes, his brother Ben Gish and his wife Mary Childers, his sister Kitty Gish and her husband Doug Raleigh, as well as his nieces and nephews Tommy Oakes, Sally Oakes Baker, Drew Raleigh, Meg Raleigh, Grant Barto, John Thomas Oakes, and Braeden Baker. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Ann Gish. On the Peloquin side, he leaves behind his mother-in-law Madeleine Bradstreet and her husband Peter Bradstreet, his father-in-law Eugene Peloquin, his sister-in-law Louise Michelle and her partner John Ferrigno, his sister-in-law Anne Boerner and her husband Bob Boerner, his sister-in-law Christine Peloquin and her husband Laurance Stuntz, his brother-in-law Bob Peloquin and his wife Susan Peloquin, his sister-in-law Jen Josselyn and her husband Mike Josselyn, as well as his nieces and nephews Jon Boerner, Jack Boerner, Molly Boerner, Ryan Stuntz, Luke Stuntz, Kate Stuntz, Sam Peloquin, Maddie Peloquin, and Logan Josselyn.

In addition, he is mourned by many hundreds of friends, near and far. Everyone is invited to attend a celebration of Ray’s life on November 16, 2024, 1–3 p.m., held at Commonwealth Bar, 497 5th Avenue (corner of 12th Street), Brooklyn NY 11215. Loud music and all of his people spilling into the street: let’s give him just the kind of party he would have liked.

Written by friends Chris Aikin and Dawn Potter.