Ray Wiley Nightingale
- Born January 2, 1936 in Danforth, Maine.
- Died at home in Bethesda, Maryland on May 31, 2008
- Preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Evelyn Nightingale.
- Beloved husband of Maria Stylianou Nightingale for 47 years.
- Loving Father of Roger Nightingale and Malina Koerschner and equally loving father-in-law of Daniel Koerschner and Kathy Nightingale.
- Adored grandfather of Cal, Caroline, Luke and Kelly.
- Survived by his sister Patricia Myers, brother Paul Nightingale and their spouses, Norb and Carolyn.
Ray served in the US Army from 1956 until 1958 and, in 1960, completed a Bachelors degree from Clark University. On July 1st of 1961, he married Maria Stylianou. In 1962, he was awarded a Master Degree in agricultural economics from the University of Massachusetts. Ray completed his PhD in agricultural economics at Cornell University in 1968, where his research took him and his family to New Delhi, India for a year. He served as a Professor of Economics in Lebanon at the American University of Beirut from 1968 to 1975. He has been a Washington area resident since 1975, where he continued his career with the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He retired from the USDA in 1997 after 22 years of public service. He traveled extensively and enjoyed every summer with his wife and family in Greece. He was a loved and enjoyable companion to all who knew him.
9 comments:
The peace of Ray will live with us often in our memories, inspiring us to listen better...
Though sad at the loss, we are glad for the memories
Our hearts are with you all
Dear Melina and Dan -
We are sorry to hear of your loss. Your tribute website is a wonderful legacy and we enjoyed the warmth and thoughtfulness it created. We will be thinking of you and your family from Florida this weekend.
Steve and Janet Hall
I last saw Ray when he and Maria were able to visit Kath and Rog at Solitude, Utah on our annual ski trip. Ray was feeling well that week and had spent the day snow shoeing. He described how beautiful the trail was and that he had toured a Yert in the woods that served as a fancy restaurant. Ray was so upbeat and happy that day he was glowing and I will cherish that memory.
From Frederica and the girls:
Ray was a genuinely kind individual, compassionate and with a sunny demeanor. My family and I met Ray and Maria when we came to Bethesda about 14 years ago through the Greek school which my girls and Ray attended. Yes that was Ray, ever young in spirit and out of love for Maria’s country, he was always trying to perfect his Greek – and he actually did quite well! Over the years I got to know Ray and Maria, and treasure our friendship and our regular evening walks, with our political, social and scientific discussions! Ray had many interests and talents, always eager to help and with thoughtful opinions and wise advice. His image and spirit will remain forever among us, but we will miss him as a person.
To Ray’s family we extend our deepest condolences, our thoughts are with you. We hope that Maria, and Malina and Roger and their families are comforted by their all their good memories, and the thought that Ray’s life continues through the children and the grandchildren.
Wool caps. Wool scarves. Wool gloves. Thermal underwear. Boots. Heavy jackets. Saws. Bunji cords. It must be the first week in December. Time to cut the Christmas tree.
The Nightingales and Hyslops are on their annual pilgrimage to the tree farm. There, map in hand, they look for the TREE OF THE YEAR, two trees required. Invariably they get turned around. Up and down hillsides. Where are the concouluer? the caanan fir? the blue spruce? Advice given, advice taken. Markers put on trees. Markers removed from trees. Final selection made only when toes and fingers start to freeze.
No Christmas tree pilgrimage was complete without lunch at a restaurant that had homemade apple pie.
I was Ray's room mate at Clark and his best man at his wedding to Maria. We bothhad been in the service at the same time and we hit it off very well when we first met.
These past two years I have been rying to locate Ray. Strangely, Clark had no record of him in the Alumni Directory. He has been much on mind and I have recently heard of his passing.
While I grieve at learning of his passing, I am so pleased to hear of his most successful life. I began to lose track of him when he went to Lebanon.
I have strong memories of when he met his wife and of his courtship. He played in a pep band at the Clark basketball games and we had many good times together.
I am so pleased to hear of his children and as I am sure you all know he was a good man. My warn regards go out to your mother and my profound joy for his wonderful life.
I am a professor of geogaphy at Wayne State University in Detroit and I would love to hear from you.
Paul - Thanks for taking the time to write such a wonderful post. It really means a lot to hear from old friends with such deep memories. I'd love to meet you sometime and learn more about my Dad's life as an undergrad at Clark.
Happy Birthday Ray! We all miss you.
Although I never personally met him, but I have known him through my late father - Syed Usman Ahmad, who had been his teacher, at AUB, from where he i.e. my father earned his M.S. in Agriculture Economics in 1972. My late father always spoke highly of him and with great reverence and affection. Professor Nightingale, on his tour to Pakistan, specially visited Peshawar and the then Agriculture College (now the Agriculture University) Peshawar University and honored his former student - my father, by meeting him.
(Dr. Syed Luqman Ahmad Shah S/O Syed Usman Ahmad)
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