Raymond J. Clement

TYNGSBOROUGH – Raymond J. Clement, age 82, a longtime resident of Tyngsborough, passed away on Sunday, November 5, 2023, after a short battle with metastatic cancer. Ray passed peacefully at his home, surrounded by his loving family.  He was the beloved husband of Patricia A. (McEvoy) Clement with whom he shared 54 years of marriage.

Born in Lowell on December 4, 1940, he was a son of the late Frank and Helen (Manning) Clement. He attended St. Patrick’s school in Lowell, where he and his brothers worked as janitors to pay their tuition. He grew up poor, like everyone else in the late 40’s and early 50’s in the Acre. He had many heartwarming memories about all the trouble he and his brothers got into and the wonderful, loving neighborhood they grew up in. He owed much of his penchant for hard work to the nuns of St. Patrick’s and from having to help his family working in the textile mills as a young child.

Ray had many hobbies that included fishing, woodworking, antiquing, furniture making, painting, and gardening. He was a renaissance man. He could create anything with his hands that he set his mind to. He had a penchant for detail, whether in his custom-built shed, or multiple handmade tiny homes on his property, he cultivated each project—including his first home on the banks of the Merrimack River—with unmatched creativity. Anyone that visited his home entered it as an experience. Whether it be the half dollar that he glued to the threshold that many a visitor tried to obtain with great fail (and many laughs), or the glass bottles filled with notes we will never know the words to that he cemented into the artistically built brick walls of his home. There was a surprise around every corner.

Prior to his retirement, Ray was self-employed as a bricklayer. He worked for many years with his brother Freddie, and many beloved friends that he spoke about prior to his passing. He was a friend of Bill W, and he had been alcohol free for over 55 years. He had many great memories of the friends he made and the stories he heard at AA meetings. He supported many of his friends and family through their own battles with cancer, and he spoke of this often with much reflection prior to his passing.

Ray was a lover of animals and nature. He loved to be outdoors, and he never tired of the beautiful Merrimack River that was such a big part of his life. He created a wonderful and unique home and life for his family.

Surviving him in addition to his loving wife Patricia are five daughters, and one son, Susan and Richard Marquis, Cheryl and Jeffrey Pirog, Darlene Morency and her partner Brian Kelley, Michael and Laura Clement, Tricia and Mike Angluin, and Sarah Clement and her partner Dean Baxter: ten grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. He was also the brother of the late Helen Steves, Frederick Clement, Richard “Sliver” Clement, and Wally Clement. He will especially miss the youngest and spunkiest members of his family; his grandsons Caiden and Rowan, and great grandkids Aubrey Rae as well as Christian and Hailey of whom he wished he could have had more time with.

According to his wishes, a celebration of life will be held privately for his family.  Those wishing to make a donation in his memorial may consider Alternative Living Centers at https://alccorp.org/

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