OBITUARY FOR RAY THOMAS FERRIS

Hello friends, I encourage yo to go to the Sands Funeral Chapel Cremation and Reception Centre Guest Book, and write a tribute to Ray.
Memorial Service details @ end of Obit.

Obituary

FERRIS, Ray Thomas April 24, 1929 - December 4, 2019 Born in Leeds, England, to Thomas Ferris and Alice Monk, Ray spent his early years in Stapleton at the Brotherhood Church, a Tolstoyan anarchist commune founded by his father. When Ray was seven years old, a terminally ill Tom Ferris sent his son and eldest daughter Clare to live at the Bruderhof (place of brothers), a commune of refugees in England fleeing religious persecution from Germany. His mother, Alice, with new husband Howard (Steppy) Hazelhurst, rescued her malnourished children from the Bruderhof when Ray was nine.
He was finally able to attend school and the family settled in Reading, where his beloved little sister Cecile was born. In 1944, Ray left school and took up an apprenticeship as a machinist and machine fitter. Knowing he would be called for compulsory military service when his apprenticeship was completed, he joined the Quaker's Friends Ambulance Unit in 1950 and did several tours of service in Germany. When he got his call up papers, he registered as a conscientious objector. In 1954 Ray began his social sciences studies at the London School of Economics. He moved to Smithers, BC, to become a social worker in 1957. There he met nurse Jeanne Rupp, whom he proposed to after only a few dates. She thought he was joking at first, as he was known to do. Marriage and two children followed shortly and the family moved to Prince Rupert, where their third child was born. Ray drove his trusty VW bug around the vast northern region as he developed relationships with Indigenous families to help place the children in his care. He became the district supervisor for Duncan, and the Ferris family lived in Cowichan Bay until moving to Victoria in July 1967. Ray worked for the Children's Aid Society in charge of the long-term foster care department and later moved to community development. He was very active in his professional association, spearheading client rights groups and social welfare advocacy. He submitted a resolution calling for single parents living on income assistance to be able to keep a portion of their child support payment, which became government policy. Ray's political activities did not endear him to his superiors, and he chose to return to child protection work, spending six years in the tough downtown Victoria office. He was appointed the director of alcohol and drug counselling services at the Victoria clinic and served in this position until his retirement in 1988 after 31 years of civil service. Throughout his retirement, he kept busy as an expert witness on multiple court cases, championing the rights of children, parents and foster parents being challenged by government policies. Ray was a prolific and gifted writer, generous in his advice and counsel to lawyers, advocates and struggling parents. He wrote the book "The Art of Child Protection" to guide other social workers on how to make decisions in the best interest of children. An active and engaged grandparent, father and uncle, he was known to be mischievous, generous and often quite blunt. He enjoyed hosting dinner parties with his wife, classical music, and travelling to five continents. Ray Ferris is survived by Jeanne, his wife of 61 years; children Caroline, Claudia and Mark (Gloria); grandchildren Jason, Zoe, Anya, Tara and Marielle; sisters Clare and Cecile; nephews Patrick, Alex and Gil. A memorial for Ray Thomas Ferris will be held on January 25, 2020, at the Victoria Friends Hall, 1829 Fern Street from 2 pm to 5 pm. In place of flowers, please consider a donation to organizations serving youth such as CoolAid, Our Place and the Foundry.

Published in Victoria Times Colonist from Dec. 27 to Dec. 28, 2019

Sands Funeral Chapel Cremation and Reception Centre- Victoria

1803 QUADRA ST

Victoria, BC 

V8T 4B8

(250)-388-5155