Ray Smith will always be remembered as a builder, not only by trade but by his life’s work.
In his 94 years, he built and oversaw the construction of about 500 affordable homes, he also built and financed the Collingwood Youth Centre and the Barbara Weider House, a home for youth at risk of homelessness.
“It’s a hell of a legacy for our family,” said Heather Douglas, Ray’s youngest child and only daughter.
William Ray Smith was born on May 3, 1930, the youngest of two children and the only boy. His father came to Canada as a child from Scotland, his mother was born in Canada.
They lived in Windsor during the 1930s and Ray’s father found work where he could. Though there is a story about an offer of work from Al Capone being turned down.
To manage with little money during the Depression, Ray's parents rented cottages in the summer and found places to stay in town during the winter.
When Ray and his family moved to Oakville, he met his future wife, Wyn, when they were in Grade 5. They dated at 18 and were married for 73 years before Wyn died on Sept. 25, 2024. Her death was hard on the family, and left her widowed husband heartbroken. He died on New Year’s Eve, 2024.
Ray’s obituary notes he joined his wife in time for a New Year’s Dance in the afterlife.
Ray and Wyn had four children, three boys and a girl. They had 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren and they put them all through post-secondary education.
Heather said both her parents were supportive and good examples of community-minded people. Her dad, she said, was a leader.
Theirs was the first home on the street with a colour TV.
“I remember him bringing home a calculator way back … I must have been so young at the time, he just knew this was something I hadn’t seen before, that was part of who he was,” said Heather.
Ray and Wyn moved to Collingwood full-time, into a home they built on Princeton Shores, in 1981, followed by their son, George, who worked with his father building homes.
Ray loved the Bay, “his and Wyn's swans” and was grateful for excellent neighbours, said his daughter in an interview with CollingwoodToday.
He also loved Collingwood, and was very proud of his Order of Collingwood awarded in 2019. Though Ray did not seek accolades, he did seek out projects and opportunities to fix what was broken.
“He's always been a person who cares very deeply about other people … He really worried, about people who didn't have a place to live, who didn't have enough to eat,” said Heather, noting his childhood during the Depression gave him an early introduction to people who didn’t have either of those things.
“Even in the last weeks of his life, he was worrying that he hadn't done enough for the homeless,” said Heather. “It all kind of speaks to the same general feeling that everybody should have a head a roof over their head, and should have food on the table.”
Martin Oosterveld, a local Rotarian and Elephant Thoughts board member for the Collingwood Youth Centre, recalls a conversation with Ray weeks before he died, during which Ray said he’d build a homeless shelter if he could get some land.
Oosterveld became friends with Ray as they worked together on the youth centre project. Ray’s family owns the Youth Centre building and leases it to Elephant Thoughts for $10 a year.
“He was constantly looking for more things to do,” Oosterveld told CollingwoodToday. “ I'll miss that. If he heard something that was not good, he wanted to fix it.”
Ray was a self-made man. His son, George, remembers some tight times in the earlier years when they wouldn’t even wait for a cheque to arrive in the mail, but would drive to get it so the workers could be paid.
In Oakville, Ray built homes under his company Tri-Stan, and locally, he started Applevale Homes, building many of the houses on Orchard Drive in Thornbury. Ray and his sons built homes in Orillia, Mount Forest, Shelburne, Wiarton, Thornbury, Meaford, Collingwood, Stayner and Wasaga Beach.
George recalls many bungalows built and sold for $49,000.
“Affordability was much simpler,” said George.
Through feast and famine, Ray helped where he could.
“He always tried to give back,” said George. “And once we came into money, there were a lot of charitable donations.”
One such charitable donation was the Barbara Weider House, part of Home Horizon.
The youth transition home opened in July 2017 with six beds. It later expanded to 10 beds and continues to operate at capacity on Campbell Street.
“I'm not sure there'd be a Barbara Weider house if it wasn't for Ray,” said Garth Martin, who was on the Home Horizon board of directors at the time.
Ray bought the property, tore down the old house on it, designed and built – at cost – the Barbara Weider House, and made an agreement with Home Horizon that he and Wyn would carry the mortgage. He also offered interest-only payments while Home Horizon worked to raise the money, and he came in $67,000 below the $600,000 budget.
Ray worked on the Hospice Georgian Triangle Campbell House, and served as chairman of the Collingwood Non-Profit Housing Corporation (South Georgian Bay Housing Resource Centre) for many years.
Ray was often candid about his opinion that government should take a more active role in social justice and just getting things done in general. It was his belief that there should be food and housing for everyone, and the responsibility to make that happen was not just individual, but national.
“He spoke his mind, but it was just all coming from a place of such deep caring,” said Heather.
Her father felt the heavy weight of responsibility for people in need. Though many might think the problems were someone else’s to deal with, Ray couldn’t take the chance.
“He felt other people should be dealing with it. But, damn it, if no one was going to do it, he was going to do it,” said Heather.
In an interview with CollingwoodToday in 2019, Ray said it was important for those with the time and means to do what they can to help.
“We can’t rely on towns and governments to do everything,” he said, making sure to point out he didn’t act alone, and Wyn deserved equal credit.
He and Wyn walked the talk, leaving behind many well-finished projects that continue to help those who need it, providing housing and food where it would not otherwise be.
“I think his legacy is showing how one person can really have an impact on the future,” said Heather. “The importance of just getting out there and doing things you know, taking risks to make positive things happen.”
There will be a celebration of life for Ray later. The family has asked that those wishing to give could donate to the Collingwood Youth Centre/Elephant Thoughts in Ray’s memory.
