[Blindtlk] Ray McGeorge Obituary

[David Andrews]

 > MCGEORGE Raymond  Wesley  Ray McGeorge, 80, of Denver died June 18, 2010.
 > He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Diane; his brother, Ivan; a
 > grandson, Michael McGeorge of Denver, and two great grandchildren.  Two
 > sons, Skip and Bryan,  granddaughter, Amy,  brothers, Homer and Earl and
 > sister, Ruby, predeceased him.    Ray was born and raised in Loveland,
 > Colorado.  Blinded in an accident as a boy, Ray finished school at the
 > Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind in Colorado Springs.  He continued
 > on
 > in technical school and worked as a turret lathe operator for Morse
 > Industrials  for 40 years.  Ray played a major role in the early civil
 > rights movement for the blind, founding the National Federation of the
 > Blind
 > of Colorado in 1955.  He broke many employment barriers and shattered
 > stereotypes by demonstrating that a blind man could work successfully as a
 > machinist in an age when blind people were often relegated to jobs in
 > sheltered workshops.   Ray was a beloved husband, father and grandfather,
 > but his influence stretched far beyond his family.  He touched the lives
 > of
 > countless thousands of people in his work with the National Federation of
 > the Blind.  For the past 60 years Ray has been a steadfast leader in
 > promoting justice and equal treatment for blind individuals in the state
 > of
 > Colorado and throughout the nation.  His passing is mourned by friends and
 > colleagues across the country.  In particular, Ray will be missed as the
 > leader of the Colorado Center for the Blind Senior Program.  Seniors who
 > thought their lives had ended when they lost their sight were given hope
 > for
 > the future through Ray's classes in blindness skills and confidence
 > building.  We cannot even begin to count the contributions Ray McGeorge
 > has
 > made in working to bring equal treatment for blind people in all walks of
 > life.   And, we cannot begin to count the little things we will miss at
 > his
 > passing.his gentle heart, his generosity, his strength of character, his
 > sense of humor, and his love of life even
 >
 > in the face of adversity.  Ray, we will miss you.
 >
 > A service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at Mile Hi
 > Church of Religious Science, 9079 W. Alameda Avenue, Lakewood, CO.In lieu
 > of
 > flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Colorado Center
 > for
 > the Blind, 2233 W. Shepperd, Littleton, CO  80120 or the National
 > Federation
 > of the Blind, 1800 Johnson St., Baltimore, MD 21230.


                         David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com
Follow me on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/dandrews920