Raymond J. Gaudet

Raymond Joseph Gaudet, 80, of Wells, ME went home to be with his Savior on August 8, 2019. He was born August 1, 1939, in Moncton, New Brunswick the youngest of 1 3 children, to his parents, Fidele and Beatrice (LeBlanc) Gaudet and moved to Waltham, MA with his family at the age of three. Raymond attended schools in Waltham and then left school in his teen years to pursue his dream of playing music pr ofessionally. He traveled with Bob Silva and the Silvatones and was the lead guitarist for the house band at the Wagon Wheel in Ayer, MA. He was known as “Little Ray” back then, gaining much notoriety for his ability to play his guitar behind his head. As part of the house band he played with some of the great entertainers of that time including Roy Clark, Dick Curliss, and Johnny White. In 1961 Raymond married the love of his life, Louise (Vail) and had three sons of whom he was very proud. Raymond work ed hard to provide for the family he loved and did various jobs while raising his family in Ayer. Besides playing music professionally he also taught guitar at Pampalone Music , Waltham, MA and was a co - owner of a TV repair shop in Concord, MA . In 1979 Ra ymond and Louise had the opportunity to move their family to Milton, NH. There Raymond took the position of Chief of Police from 1981 - 1982. He also worked as a guard in the NH State Prison. His last position was as a courier for Granite State Shuttle Se rvice from which he retired in 2015. Raymond and his wife attended for many years Milton Assembly of God , Milton , NH , where he served on the board and played on the worship team faithfully. He and his family also traveled and sang for many years, sharing country gosp el music all around New England and abroad. On February 29, 2016 Raymond survived a severe stroke. We his family consider ourselves blessed to have had him for an additional 3 ½ years. Maintaining his wonderful personality, we have often said that he w as even sweeter than before the stroke, if that was even possible. Over the past few years he was residing at River Ridge Rehabilitation Center in Kennebunk, ME. We are so very grateful to all the staff and volunteers for their excellent care. Raymond ne ver knew a stranger and was loved by everyone he met or who met him. Raymond is survived by his loving wife, Louise, his son Ronald, his son William and daughter in law Sharon, daughter in law Dory, grandchildren Don, Amanda, Tim, Michael, Joshua, Alyssa and Zachary. He is also survived by his sister, Cecile Benotti, many nieces and nephews, cousins and family who he loved very much. He was predeceased by his son Donald J. Gaudet, his parents and many of his siblings. An intimate service for family and friends will be held Friday, August 16, 2019, 7:00 PM at Connect Community Church, 200 Chase Drive, Portsmouth, NH 03801 with Pastor Alfred Weeden officiating. On September 14, 2019 the family is planning a celebration of Raymond’s life. We hope that many dear friends and family will attend, bring guitars and instruments, food and a story or a song to share in honor and remembrance of an amazing man whom we greatly loved. Further details to follow . The family is grateful to Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home, Inc. of York, ME for their assistance to our family during this difficult time. We would also like to thank the loving staff at River Ridge Center of Kennebunk, ME, for the many years of quality and lo ving care given to Raymond, the caring staff at Southern Maine Healthcare in Biddeford, ME, and to the many friends and family who have poured out love and support during this time. In lieu of flowers the famil y kindly asks donations be made for Louise in car e of Bill Gaudet, 504 Tri City Road, Somer s worth, NH 03878 .

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Raymond J. Gaudet, please visit our floral store.