Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Tribute To My Best Friend, Ray McNeil
It was 1963 when I first met that skinny little kid with glasses, the guy who become my best friend from childhood through adulthood and into old age, Ray McNeil… We had just moved “up 12” from 16 in that summer as mom, with the help of my grandmother, was able to buy a little house on Convent Street to raise her brood of 5 kids… On my very first day of attending Saint Agnes High School in grade 7, I set out from the house and crossed though the neighbours yard to James Street where I meet Ray coming out of his house, all dressed up like a shiny new penny, making his way to his first day of High School… I said the usual “Hey bye, How’se she going” to which Ray replied, “Oh, you’re the riff raff that moved up here from 16” to which I promptly smiled and said, “Yep, that would be me” as we both laughed and banged shoulders… That was the very beginning of an incredible bond of friendship and “comrades in mischievousness” that spanned over 61 years, the unlikely friendship of the studious little nerdy kid and the class clown…. I was talented in math, and Ray was good in every other subject in school so we often helped each other with homework and assignments, mixed in with pranks and tom-foolery to keep the subjects fun…
In 1967, Ray got a motorcycle, a blue Suzuki 50, WOW!!! I kinda figured that would be the end of our friendship, as he was now a member of the motorcycle crowd at school and wouldn’t have time for the Riff Raff… But to my surprise, and amazement, the first thing he did was to come to my house and told me to get on and go for a ride with him… He even taught me to drive his bike, and we would travel all over the area in search of adventures… it was that summer of 67, when we were out for a drive on the bike that he suggested we travel down 14 and meet some of his other friends who would gather at a house on LeDrew Street, The Roach Family… He introduced me to my now wife of almost 50 years, Eileen…. As was the custom on Friday night, there would be a dance at Mount Carmel with Burger and The Bits playing all the best songs of the early 60’s…. I never really had much money, so Ray being the friend that he was would always get a few extra dollars from his parents for “gas for his bike” which he would give to me so we could go the dances together… We joined the militia together and travelled all over the maritimes with the 45 Field Squadron, most notably to Camp Gagetown for a solid month…
As high school came to an end, and the world was calling us to take our places, I moved off to Ontario for a short time to seek my fame and fortune while Ray joined the Armed Forces and was stationed all across the country… We kept in touch as much as we could back then, the days before cell phones and emails, seeing each other when we would return home for vacations or gatherings and reminiscing about days gone by… As life went on, we settled into our own little worlds of working and raising our kids and doing the things adults do to care for their families, but continued to talk on the phone and stay in touch… In around 2006, I had a courier business on the go, and Ray expressed an interest in moving back home from Ontario, which was great for me… I talked him into coming home and giving it a try and that began another almost 20 year career for him doing deliveries to all the hospitals in the area, and continued the bond of friendship the we developed over the years.. As we aged, our conversations moved from “what pranks to do to whom” to “ where is the best sale on groceries this week”. We would compare notes and off we would go and spend $40.00 in gas to saved $5.00 on the price of groceries, which was a bargain for us…
I will dearly miss my best friend, our daily talks on the phone to cure all of the world’s problems, get that latest gossip going around, and the latest sales at Sobeys and SuperValue…. Although I won’t be able to see him now, I will still continue to talk to him everyday, and now I may even be able to get a word in edgewise, although knowing Ray, that isn’t a guarantee… As I visited him in the hospital in his last days, I have the comfort of knowing that the very last words we spoke to one another was, “I love you Ray, I love you too John”. Rest In Peace my “brother” , my best friend, you will be missed more than you could have ever imagined…
Your Best Friend
John Cashen
