Ray Gant, a longtime member of the Sandcastle Storytellers and a past president of the group, passed away on July 20 at his home in Port Orange. He was 85.
He was active and served as an officer in several Toastmaster groups in Brevard County, Jacksonville, and Volusia County. He won several awards for his speeches – including his favorite category, “TALL TALES.”
For several years, Ray, along with his granddaughters and other storytellers, were in the play “Storytelling: It’s Just Like Magic,” written by Mary Jackson Fears and presented at Peabody Auditorium and the DeLand Museum at Arts. He had most recently joined the writer’s group, Word Weavers, and was working on publishing several of his stories.
“My father was a kind, caring and amazing man,” said his daughter Janet Applegren. “As a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, coworker, Toastmaster, storyteller and friend, he made everyone feel better about themselves and helped them improve on what you already had in you – you just didn’t know it yet. He will be sorely missed, and I know he is looking down on us and smiling. His memory lives on in all of us.”
“The Man, The Myth, The Legend went to heaven,” said Janet. “I know the angels will be rolling with laughter when you share your amazing stories! My heart is hurting.”
Granddaughter Amber Guest said, “blue crabs and Budweiser never stood a chance when my pop-pop Raymond Gant was at the table. A fabled man who lived life to the fullest. He brought a smile, an embellished story, and belly laugh to everyone he met. This legendary storyteller and toastmaster set the bar high and will live on and on and on in all of us. “
“Reflecting, I am thankful he allowed me to keep talking, singing, talking, acting, talking, goofing. His endless supply of printer paper and ball point pens always kept me creating. He was a lifelong living room audience member when my cousins and I would put on “a show”. He included me in storytelling and plays and even supported me in Toastmasters where he tallied my “um’s and ah’s” to make me a better speaker. He counted 9 in my one min introduction speech and he wasn’t even disappointed, instead he wrote me a note telling me he was proud of me. I kept it, It’s in my office at work. I sure will miss saying it’s not a party until pop-pop trips.”
Born Raymond Olsen Gant In New Jersey, he was active in boy scouts and speed skating. He and his father were the first father-son pair to be awarded Eagle Scout at the same time. He and his parents, Raymond L. Gant and Violet H. Gant (Coopey) came to Florida for summer vacations several years in a row, and they decided to make the move permanent. They moved here in 1956 and lived in Holly Hill.
The first job Ray had was setting up bowling pins at a bowling alley on Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach. Ray was nicknamed by his new Florida friends “Suedes” because of always having suede shoes. He was still called Suedes at all the Mainland High School Reunions. He attended Mainland but dropped out and went to work for Hull Cabinet Works. He then worked for Daytona Mill Works in Holly Hill laying pipe in the Halifax River. He started taking classes in electronics at Daytona Beach Community College.
n 1958, Raymond met the love of his life, Carmen L. Julien, and they married on Nov. 12, 1960, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Daytona Beach and settled at Rancho Heights Mobile Home Park in South Daytona. In 1962, Ray was offered a position at Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral) and with their first child in tow, they moved to Eau Gallie, FL. After the third child was born, they moved back to the area, living in South Daytona at Blue Villa Mobile Home Park. In 1967, Ray, Carmen and their four children moved to a house on White Place in Port Orange. One year later, they welcomed their fifth child, and they have lived there ever since.
Ray was active in the community, being a Webelos Troop leader and coaching the A-da-Lite Little League baseball team. He frequently took the boys camping, fishing at the pier, or to Cape Canaveral for the day. Ray was a member of Epiphany Catholic Church for 57 years and helped raise funds to build the church that is there today. In 1976, Ray and Carmen lost their son, Raymond T. Gant, 13, in a tragic accident. The community of Port Orange came together and offered much support to the family, for which they were, and will forever be, grateful.
Ray was laid off from Cape Kennedy about 1980 and worked several jobs over the next few years – CF Pool Supply, Equitable Insurance, and in addition sold Dale Carnegie Classes. In 1985, Ray had the opportunity to apply for another position at the Cape and he was hired as a computer programmer with Applied Physics Lab/Systems Engineering Labs (APL/SEL). The company changed hands a few times but was eventually owned by John’s Hopkin’s University, where he rose through the ranks and was made Building Manager. Ray retired in 2015, after a total of 48 years of service in the Cape area .
“My grandfather was the best pop-pop a girl could ever ask for,’ said granddaughter Blair Wells. ” Smiles, belly hurting from laughs, all the Dollar Store trips, and his stories were a staple of my childhood. Of all his extraordinary accomplishments I know his family was his favorite trophy to show off. Watching his lifelong love for my granny is the best loved gift I could ever get. I will forever be a pop-pops girl. “
Ray is survived by his wife, Carmen Gant (Julien); four children, Janet Applegren, Laura Hughes (David), Sharon Haga-Jacques (Randolph) and Michael Gant; six grandchildren, Amber Guest (Hughes), Trista Guest (Applegren), Blair Wells (Hughes), Raymond Applegren, Alexander Haga and Morgan Hayes (Hughes); and 10 great-grandchildren.
Donations in his memory may be made to Sandcastle Storytellers, c/o Gia & Peter Giachetti, PO Box 184, Lake Helen, FL 32744, or Gentiva Hospice, 1717 North Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32117, or online at GentivaHsp.com.
Ray Gant. Not Grant. He was a delightful soul, a good man, a great storyteller. Rest in peace.
When I first came to Story Camp at Lake Yale, he was always so kind and help to me. Made me feel welcome. He “saw people.” Sometimes we skitter through events with large groups of peoples and we do a kind of token interaction, pleasant, but we are not totally engaged in the interaction. Ray always was. You didn’t have the feeling that he was just being nice to you. You always felt that he cared. That he was somehow enriched by his contact with you. This is a wonderful rare quality, and I believe that made Ray the successful speaker and storyteller he was. He also had a delightful sense of humor. It always seemed that he was just on the verge of telling a wonderful secret joke. I have not seen Ray in quite a while. I do not remember seeing him last January, but like everyone else…we always figure we can see someone next year. Sadly, with Ray that is not the case.
Natalie said it so well. I met and only saw Ray at Story Camp and later in Mt. Dora. He truly made you feel that you were his best friend that he had been missing. Who could forget his fishing story where he was caught up with the hooks and lines. Laughed til I cried. But it is his smile and warm eyes I will never forget. I know he’s making angels laugh in Heaven.
I’m deeply saddened to hear of Ray’s passing. He was an enthusiastic and generous member of Sandcastle Storytellers (Volusia County) for many years, giving his time and considerable talent to group events from picnics to Tellabration to Barberville Days and everything in between. Ray was a gifted storyteller, especially of his own inimitable tall tales. No one who ever heard him tell “A house with a gym (Jim)” could forget the experience.
I was a privileged onlooker the first year Ray attended the Florida Storytelling Festival; his lovely wife, Carmen, remained at home. One of the Sandcastle members (Sandy Beaulieu, if memory serves) won Elizabeth Ellis’s generous offer of an hour of private storytelling in the daily raffle, and invited as many of us as could squeeze into her room to come enjoy the informal concert. Ray was perched next to me on one of the beds, and I saw the moment he was struck with devilish inspiration. “Here,” he said to me, “let’s pull the covers up and get someone to take a picture. I bet Carmen will never let me come here by myself again.” So far as I know, she never did.
It’s been a long time, too long, since I had the pleasure of listening to Ray tell his iconic pressure cooker story, but I can still see his sly grin and hear his voice saying, “Ya know, if you take a can of beans and stick it in the fire” – exaggerated twang giving ‘beans’ and ‘fire’ at least two extra syllables – and it still makes me laugh. Godspeed, Ray, with thanks for the laughter and the memories.
Ray Gant was a delight – in every way. I hope his family will finish and publish his book of stories as I know many of us would love a copy. The storytelling community has lost a dear soul.