Raymond William Jacques, August 7, 1936 – July 5, 2021. Raymond William Jacques reached the end of this adventure on July 5, 2021. Vaya con dios Racer.

That Ray Jacques bounced off a bed and out the second story window of the bedroom he shared with his brothers to the ground below when he was 5, is both auspicious and telling, symbolic, and possibly just good storytelling. It also reveals some truths about Ray: he was athletic, as tough as nails and not interested in staying in bed. He did, although, move through open doors for the rest of his life rather than windows.

Ray Jacques followed the open doors. Those doors lead him from St. Jerome’s Parish and school in Ward 4, Holyoke, Massachusetts to Winooski, Vermont and the campus of St. Michael’s College where he started to have conversations about god and goodness. He also did ROTC, which helped pay the bills and satisfy his need for both adventure and public service. From there he found himself on a heavy cruiser, The Newport News, as a junior officer and ultimately at a desk in London as a cryptographer. In London, he learned to play rugby and throw darts, and drive on the left side of the road. He fell in love with England, made meaningful and enduring friendships and met the girl of his dreams. He and his new bride then followed an open door to the University of Wyoming in the dead of winter and a graduate degree. Another graduate experience and a high-school teaching certificate became a door to his life’s career. Ray followed an opportunity to Marin County, California and the rich challenge of teaching at Redwood High School. Which he did for 30 years. He taught US History and Government and Art History and Psychology and even did some good years teaching Special Education. Ray finished his tenure as a counselor and somewhere in there was Teacher of the Year. Ray Jacques’ love of people, the outdoors, and movement combined artfully as a coach of distance runners. It is no surprise that Ray was highly successful, leading the Redwood girls cross-country and track teams to numerous Marin County Athletic League titles. After retiring from teaching and coaching, the doors were everywhere and he and his bride, Liz, traveled the world, reconnected with significant people and places and bounced mailing addresses (again with the bouncing) back and forth between California and Whidbey Island, Washington.

But simple adventure does not a hero make. Adventure is always about learning and a good adventure leaves its mark on the adventurer. Ray Jacques was a good adventurer, and will be hugely missed, not because of the crazy tracks he made but because every door that opened lead him to an amazing person and to some truth about the world. People are more important than things. Another person’s integrity is more important than being right. Love is all you need. He looked for truths and found them while he was running, hiking, skiing poorly, listening to opera or Simon and Garfunkel, staring at paintings at the Legion of Honor, plunging into the surf, watching heavyweight boxing or sitting at Spirit Rock.

The legacy of Ray Jacques is in the the connections he made and the love he shared.

Ray is survived by his wife of 60 years, Liz; his children: Frank and Cait Cassee; his grandchildren: Max Cassee, Miranda Cassee, Phoebe Jacques and Callum Cassee; his brother, Howard Jacques; and a circle of friends around the world who will forever miss his wit, his kindness and his excellent hugs.

A pint-sized celebration of Ray’s life will be held November 27th at 2 pm at Ebey’s Landing, rain or shine.