A tribute to former rector Fr Ray Smith
We are sad to share the news that our much-loved former Rector, Fr Ray Smith, who retired to his home town, Reading, in 2020 after serving our parish and the wider community for 24 years, has died following an illness, on Friday, April 12.
Born on March 12, 1956, he had just turned 68.
Fr Ray was well-known, loved and respected. At his last-but-one Eucharist in St Wilfrid’s Church on St Wilfrid’s Day, October 11, 2020, the then Town Mayor Cllr Alastair McPherson paid tribute, on behalf of the Town Council, to the various ways in which Father Ray had served Haywards Heath for almost a quarter of a century and presented him with a Town Council plaque bearing the civic coat of arms and a sterling silver photo frame. Many townspeople will fondly remember Fr Ray leading the town’s Sunday morning Remembrance services on Muster Green and regular assemblies at St Wilfrid’s CofE Primary School, Eastern Road, where he was a long-serving Foundation Governor. He was equally well known by many young families who came to his Family Worship services at StWilfrid’sChurchortoMessy Church in the Centenary Hall, and for welcoming the Mayor and Town Councillors to the annual Civic Service in St Wilfrid’s. His other effective public roles had included many years as ambulance and police chaplain in Sussex and chairing the ecumenical Churches Together in Haywards Heath and District.
Ray Smith was ordained deacon in June 1980 and ordainedpriestin1981.Hetrained for the ministry at King’s CollegeLondonandatTheCollege of the Resurrection at Mirfield in West Yorkshire. In the late 1970sRayworkedfor16months as an auxiliary nurse on a surgical ward at St Georges Hospital at Hyde Park Corner. He served two curacies in Oxford Diocese at Iffley in Oxford and atWallingfordandthenserved for just over ten years as Vicar of St Mary Magdalen’s Church TilehurstinReading,wherehe alsolecturedonEthicsandDoctrine on the Berkshire Christian Training Scheme course. He moved to Haywards Heath as Team Rector in the summer of 1996.
During his time in Sussex, and alongside his parish ministry, Ray worked as chaplain to the South East Coast Ambulance Service until 2014 and Chaplain to Sussex Police until2013,servingasseniorchaplaintotheSussexPoliceService andSouthEastarearepresentative on the committee of the National Association of Chaplains to the Police from 2003.
St Wilfrid’s Parish Churchwarden Gloria Kendall, a former Chair of Governors at St Wilfrid’s CofE Primary School in Eastern Road, Haywards Heath, said: "As our Rector he wasmuchrespectedandloved within the Parish. We all have very fond memories of him, administering services, baptisms,weddings,andfunerals, engaging with the children at the Toddler group and the family services, and establishing our midweek ecumenical Taizé services.”
She added: “Our thoughts areverymuchwithhisfamilyat thistime.Mayherestinpeace.”
He leaves his daughter Katherine, his son Daniel, and four grandchildren.
Fr Ray’s funeral will be at St Andrew'sChurch,AlbertRoad, Caversham, on May 1 (11am). Katherine and Daniel would like to know if anyone in Mid Sussexwillbeattending.Email wardens@stwilfridshaywardsheath.org.uk.