Raymond "Ray" Bettencourt ’53, born August 23, 1931, and a resident of Fremont, with great sadness we say goodbye to Ray who passed away on July 16, 2014. He was preceded in death by his parents Raymond Sr. and Anna Bettencourt and his loving wife Harriet Bettencourt. Ray was a brother to Donna Shoults, a loving father to Jeff (Sandi) and Greg (Liz), and a wonderful caring grandfather to Daniel, Renee, Eric, and Jenna.
Ray was born and has spent his whole life in Fremont where he graduated from Washington High School and played football. He then extended his education and graduated from Santa Clara University. Following this he served two years in the United States Army. He then earned his teaching credential and later taught Social Sciences for 30 years back at his alumni of Washington High School.
He was known for his great humor and sarcasm and was very well-liked by his students. After graduation many of his students would stop by to visit Ray, return several times and grew to really adore Harriet, who was a magnet to the neighborhood teenagers. In addition, he had an after school session known as "detention" which he actually enjoyed and derived great pleasure in conversing with the participants who were a captive audience for his wit and humor.
He was an avid golfer. He coached golf at Washington High School from 1961-1965. With only one family car his wife and eldest son would come to the school to load up the entire golf team in the station wagon and drive to the local golf course. To the end of his life he remained in contact with some of the members from these teams. He shared his love of golf with the neighborhood kids and inspired them by teaching them and giving them clubs and golf balls that he fished out of ponds at various golf courses to develop their own passion for golf.
In recent years he became very involved in genealogy. He traced back his family origins with the help of like minded relatives to the 1863 arrival of his Great Grandfather John to the San Francisco Bay Area. As a result of this interest he was very much involved in collecting, taking, and organizing photos of family and friends he had known throughout his life.
He also had a great passion for movies and has a vast collection of miniature movie posters which are displayed throughout his house. His love for movies is evident by his book and movie collection. Growing up in Fremont, Ray kept in touch with many friends from grammar school days through Monday morning breakfast, reunions, and frequent visits to each other’s homes. He will be greatly missed by his friends as he missed those who went before him. Two of his many great qualities were his generosity and progressive thinking which allowed him to share and grow both spiritually and intellectually to the very end of his life. When you spent time with him, you felt as though you were growing along with him.