Raymond H. Medeiros, age 87, passed away on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, a month shy of his 88th birthday, at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He was the loving husband of Eileen (Galego) Medeiros, to whom he had been married for 65 years.
Born in Fall River, Raymond was the son of the late John A. and Adela (Beaulieu) Medeiros. He was a lifelong resident of the “Spindle City” and grew up in the Lower Locust St. and Turner Playground neighborhood, where he quietly honed his baseball skills and teaching personality from a very young age. He often mentioned how his teaching career changed his life, with his parents as the major influencers.
Ray graduated from B.M.C. Durfee High School in 1954 and went on to earn his college degree from Durfee Tech (now UMass Dartmouth). “Mr. Medeiros” taught math while coaching football and baseball at Henry Lord Junior High for 20 years. He concluded his 44-year education career in the Fall River Public School System as a “Firm but Fair” Class Administrative Advisor at Durfee High School, managing numerous student fundraisers from his office desk drawer. He was also a long-time loyal parishioner of the Holy Name Church in Fall River, serving as a lector for many years and always sporting his classic clip-on ties.
Equally notable was his baseball coaching career - spanning 44 years. “Coach Ray” was widely known as a baseball coach, with 20 years at Henry Lord Junior High and the last 24 at Durfee High School. In the off-season, he also coached football at the Junior High/Freshman levels, introduced to the sport by Don Montle, who recognized Ray's natural coaching abilities.
Ray’s talent for baseball came at an early age. As a youngster, he dreamed of being a big league baseball player. One of the top pitchers in his day, Ray earned the nickname “Rubber Arm” because he would often pitch an afternoon game for “Durfee Tech” and head back to Ruggles Park to pitch a doubleheader for Sacred Heart in the CYO League where he led the team to the Diocesan Championship in 1953. His accomplishments include being inducted into the Durfee Athletic Hall of Fame as a player (19-1 pitching record) and as head coach of the 1995 State Championship team that won the title with a miraculous late-game comeback. He was also inducted into the UMass Dartmouth Athletic Hall of Fame (17-8 pitching record for Durfee Tech), named MVP of the Durfee Tech team in 1958, and was inducted into the MA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1998 upon his retirement from coaching.
In his 22 years of retirement, Ray enjoyed a busy and active role with his family. He would unwind in the late evening hours with sudoku and Wordscape on his iPad, with oldies playing in the background. His iPhone became his communication lifeline as granddaughter Theresa kept him sharp with daily text greetings. Feeding birds was always an ongoing challenge in how best to chase away squirrels. In fact, he used his new electric lawnmower days before becoming ill, gladly pushing along with an apple in the other hand. He also treasured regular haircuts by his grandson Brendan with his granddaughter Brittany filling in at times.
And while son Jeff dragged him into golf early in retirement, “Papa” Ray bested his son Brian and grandson Casey as recently as September 2023. And at age 80, Ray was still seen pitching batting practice to his grandkids’ youth teams. He also played slow-pitch softball with his four sons for a few years, learning how to properly arch the “big ball” And while he hadn’t used his 45-year-old Sears aluminum fishing boat in years, son Kevin has kept the “Zorba” seaworthy.
Ray was a regular at the numerous events where his children and grandchildren were involved, from sporting events to performances, vacations, and family outings. He was a fixture in the Westport High gym for almost a decade watching grandkids Matt, Ryan and Samantha play hoops. Ray became a part of granddaughter Brittany’s creative dance family and treasured his Boylston Ave window seat watching Brendan compete in last year’s Boston Marathon. And who could forget his distinct attention-getting whistle…
He loved to engage with family friends and acquaintances, sharing many intriguing tales. Also known for his consistency, he earned the nickname “Aruba Ray” for his 31 trips to Aruba during February school vacations, fitting perfectly between officiating high school basketball and coaching high school baseball.
He enjoyed weekly “getaways” with Eileen and her sister Donna in his gold Honda CRV, which also made weekly visits to nearby 7-Eleven for Dunkin snacks and the weekly lottery. With MassCash winnings in 1992, he splurged on his family with a memorable trip to Disney.
On the home front, he was a jack of all trades - ranging from a self-taught amateur Locksmith to being among the first to use a Mac computer to record student conduct and his players’ statistics. After being introduced to cornhole, he went on to build a top-notch set with son Ray.
He became an expert with the air fryer, scanned everything that he could get his hands on to his archive, and maintained player statistics during his time at Henry Lord Jr. High and Durfee dating back to the early 1960s. He had many affectionate nicknames through the years, with “Yoda” sticking because of his keen wisdom and calm resolution to many issues. He also hosted numerous showings of Casablanca.
A lesser-known fact, Ray obtained Portuguese citizenship through his father’s heritage, passing this citizenship on to his son Ray Jr. and grandson Brendan, who spent much of the last decade living in Spain. Ray often recounted an overnight train adventure from Barcelona to Leon as part of his European travels and also visited the shrine of Fatima in Portugal. With his family, he visited the Azores to explore his family tree, staying for a week with Eileen at a Povoacao hotel bordering Medeiros Ave during the yearly feast.
On May 22, shortly before sunset, Ray passed peacefully with family members by his side, serenaded by one of his favorite songs, “Three Coins in the Fountain” by the Four Aces.
Ray is survived by his beloved wife, Eileen; his sons: Raymond H. “Ray” Medeiros, Jr. and his wife Donna of Fall River; Jeffrey Medeiros and his wife Cristiane of Andover; Brian Medeiros and his wife Cory of Tiverton; and Kevin Medeiros and his wife Jennifer of Westport. He is also survived by his sister, Pauline Croft and her husband Ken; his brother, Roland A. Medeiros and his wife Pat; his grandchildren: Brendan, Theresa Medeiros, Brittany Medeiros Hubbard and her husband Nick; Matthew and his wife Elita; Ryan, Samantha Medeiros, and Casey; his great-grandson, Oden; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Lorraine Swain.
His Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at 9:00 AM at the Waring-Sullivan Home at Cherry Place, 178 Winter Street, Fall River, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00 AM at Holy Name Church, 709 Hanover Street, Fall River. Relatives and friends are invited. Visiting hours are Wednesday from 4:00 – 7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his honor may be made to the “Coach Ray Medeiros Baseball Scholarship” via Spotfund (spot.fund/SupportDreamOfBelovedCoach) . Burial will be in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Fall River. For tributes and directions, visit www.waring-sullivan.com.
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