By now the common lesson in life that we've all learned and come to terms with is the inevitable death. Death is a familiar leveller and has no regard for one's status or the great things they've done.
With that in mind, we remember a man who in his life devoted his time to achieving great things, Ray Goodwin. He was such a model and example to us of how we ought to care for and love one another on this side of life. For this, he will be greatly missed.
Ray and his wife, Dawn spent many years sailing and eventually decided to keep their feet on dry ground. With all the places they've seen, the tiny island of Bequia stood out hugely as a place they thought would make a wonderful place to live.
Ray always loved helping people, it was a passion of his. He'd have kids coming to his home for help with their homework. Ray and his wife would offer them snacks
and entertainment whenever they came over and that's when the children of Bequia became inspiration for Ray's new project, The Learning Center.
Several years after settling on Bequia they put their plans in motion to start an after-school program with the aim to help children in a caring environment. With meticulous planning and generous donations the Learning Center, brain child of Ray had finally come into fruition. The center would be home away from home for kids after school and on Saturdays. A place they can come and receive the help they need in a nurturing and positive environment. He got a chance to start the center and watch it grow as years went by and hundreds of children passed through the doors before he became ill and had to fly back to the USA where he sought treatment and lived happily for some time before his passing on the morning of December 9th, 2022.
Some may not know his name, may not be aware of the impact he's made on education on the island of Bequia but for those whose lives were impacted by his generosity and love for people will always remember him and remain grateful to have been given the chance to know such a remarkable man.
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