Ray D. Bales Sr.

Ray Daniel Bales was born in Canton, Stark County, Ohio, on Saturday, March 6, 1915. He was the fifth child to James Jamar “Jim” Bales and Lydia Jane (Travis) Bales, both of whom had been born and grew up in the southwestern Pennsylvania. They met and were engaged while living in Uniontown, as there families were close neighbors. They were married in Uniontown on May 29, 1903.

Ray, often called Danny Boy while growing up, had three older siblings, two sisters named Pansy and Lydia and brother named Roy. Another brother, James Jr., had died young a few years before Ray was born. Ray’s father Jim was employed as a foundry man with the National Radiator Company and eventually served as a supervisor. At that time the manufacturing of steam radiators, used for the heating of homes and businesses, was a booming industry. His position saw them move every so often as he would be tasked to help straighten out other factories.

Sometime in 1918-1919, the family was off to the town of New Castle in western Pennsylvania. While they resided at #820 Bonzo Avenue, a son named Clarence Paul, who was born in April 1918 (location unknown), passed away in March 1919. The stay in New Castle was short lived as in late 1919 they found a new home in Utica, New York. That stay was very brief and was followed by a return to New Castle in early 1920. During this stop in New Castle they lived off of East Maitland Road out in the East Brook area.

In the next few years mother Lydia gave birth to two more boys, John Merle (“Merle”) in April 1920 and James Jr. (“Jimmy”) in June 1922. Ray started school and attended the Briar Hill School in East Brook. Ray later said he loved his time in East Brook, as he was very fond of his school and enjoyed fishing in the nearby Neshannock Creek. Eldest sister Pansy, at age eighteen, soon moved out as she was married to Clarence W. Reiber in July 1923.

By the late 1920’s, the Bales family was off to Baltimore, Maryland, where several of Ray’s uncles (Mike and John Bales – the older brothers of Jim Sr.) were living. They purchased a home at #429 Buena Vista Avenue in northern Baltimore, just of modern-day Route 81 and near Druid Hill Park. Jim Sr., as a superintendent, worked at a local radiator shop. Ray’s sister Lydia married Donald Diebert in October 1929, moved in with him and his parents, and eventually settled in the suburb of Towson, Maryland.

Ray would have attended middle school and started high school in central Baltimore. Ray and older brother Roy, who would have graduated from high school about 1929, were athletic and active in sports leagues. During their time in Baltimore Ray worked part time as a golf caddy at a local county club - probably the prestigious Baltimore County Club in nearby Roland Park.

Before long (late 1930-early 1932) the Bales family was back in the New Castle area, living way out on Route 108/Harlansburg Road and west of the small town of Harlansburg. The family attended the Croton Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in New Castle and took an active role in church activities. Ray attended New Castle High School and graduated in June 1933. I imagine he was not much of a model student as his senior yearbook lists his nickname as “Euclid” and he was voted “Worst Hack.” Outside of school Ray was an incredible outdoorsman, displaying undeniable skill as a fisherman, hunter, and conservationist.

Ray went to work for the National Radiator Company, near Cascade Park in southern New Castle. He soon met a local girl from Mahoningtown named Dorothy Mae Hake, who was embarking on a career as a nurse. They were married on July 22, 1936, and took up residence just off Croton Avenue at #213 North Mulberry Street. They soon started a family and their first child, Dorothy Jane (“Dottie”), was born on December 18, 1937.

After graduating from high school Ray and his brother Roy remained active by participating in city-wide sporting leagues, including softball, golf, and bowling. While playing for the Croton M. E. Church they became two of the best players in the New Castle Church Softball League in the 1930’s. Both were offensive beasts at the plate and formed an effective battery, as Roy usually pitched and Ray starred behind the plate. In October 1938, they helped Croton M. E. win its second straight city championship with a 3-1 series win over the boys from Madison Avenue Christian Church in Mahoningtown. In the deciding game they prevailed 12-9 at P&O Field in Mahoningtown.

In early June 1939, Ray’s mother Lydia began experiencing severe abdominal pain and became quite ill with fever. She was admitted into Jameson Hospital and it was determined that Lydia was suffering from a ruptured appendix. She underwent an emergency appendectomy, but unfortunately passed away on Friday, June 9, at the age of only fifty-five. She was buried in West Newton Cemetery in Fayette County, next to her infant sons Jim Jr. and Clarence. Ray’s father sold the property almost immediately and moved back into New Castle.

Ray and Dorothy’s family continued to grow as two more children, sons Ray Daniel Jr. and Robert Gary, were born in May 1940 and March 1943 respectively. Sometime in 1944-1945 they moved into a new house two blocks away at #215 North Scott Street. Another son, James Jeffrey, was born on February 1946. The kids attended various nearby schools including Oak Street School, Croton Elementary School, Harry W. Lockley Elementary School, Benjamin Franklin Middle School, and New Castle High School.

Ray’s father, in declining health, later moved with him and his family at #215 North Scott Street. Jim Sr. passed away in bed on the morning of Tuesday, May 18, 1954, at the age of seventy-three. The official cause of death was given as cardiac arrest. He was buried next to his wife in West Newton.

After an eight-year break Ray and Dorothy had two more kids, Charlotte Debra (“Debbie”) born in January 1954 and Margaret Ann (“Betsy”) born in March 1955. The next year, in August 1956, eldest daughter Dottie was married and moved out of the house. In the coming years the other older kids began to grow up: Ray was married in July 1961 and settled in New Castle, Gary was married in May 1964 and settled for a while down to Arlington, Virginia, and Jeff was married in 1967 and was soon off to travel the world as a member of the U.S. Navy.

Ray and Dorothy began to have marital differences and spilt up in about 1965. Dorothy took her young daughters Debbie and Betsy and moved down to Arlington, Virginia. She had a support system down in the Washington D.C. area, as her older kids Gary and Dottie and her brother John Hake all lived down there with their own families.

Meanwhile, Ray resigned from the Crane Company (the successor to National Radiator) and fielded a host of job offers. He flew down for an interview in Miami, Oklahoma, before deciding to take a position with Elliot-Turbo in Jeanette, Pennsylvania. He lived in nearby Latrobe and worked straight nights at Elliott. Although they were officially divorced in June 1966, Ray and Dorothy never really drifted apart. They decided to get back together and Dorothy moved back with Ray in Latrobe. In 1970 they moved into the Brooklane Manor Apartments in nearby Greensburg, where Ray served as a building superintendent during the day. Daughters Debbie and Betsy, who soon finished high school in Greensburg, were married in December 1972 and January 1974 respectively.

Ray and Dorothy continued to live in Greensburg until Ray retired from Elliot-Turbo in 1980. At that time they bought a twenty-acre plot of property next to son Ray Jr. outside New Castle in rural Slippery Rock Township. Ray, with his son Ray Jr. and grandson Ray Daniel III (“Danny”), cleared the land and built up a nice little homestead there. He even carved out a nice little pond in his front yard and stocked it with “friendly” bass.

Ray lived a long life in retirement enjoying his favorite pursuits of gardening, card playing, golf, hunting, and especially fishing. He hunted for deer and turkey and traveled extensively to fish for trout, bass, steelhead, and walleye. He was involved in outdoor conservation projects, helped stock the local streams and rivers, and even allowed a club to build a fish hatchery on his property. Ray even maintained a large vegetable garden and donated most of the produce to the St. Francis Hospital.

The family suffered an unexpected loss on the early morning of Monday, July 8, 1991, when Ray’s wife Dorothy suffered a heart attack and passed away. She was buried in nearby Hermon-Union (Mount Hermon) Cemetery on Frew Mill Road.

On Thursday, April 29, 1992, Ray was fortunate to be absent when his mobile home caught fire due to a faulty furnace. He lost most of his possessions in the raging fire that took caused an estimated $50K in damages. Ray rebuilt on the same location with a smaller mobile home. Ray lived alone but continued to stay active.

On Saturday, November 11, 2006, while on his porch and chatting with his son Ray Jr., Ray suffered heart failure, collapsed, and died almost immediately. He was ninety-one years old. A viewing was held at the R. Cunningham Funeral Home in New Castle on Tuesday from 2:00-4:00pm and 7:00-9:00pm. The next day a memorial service, presided over by the Reverend Kenny Kauffman, was held at the funeral home. A funeral procession then followed along as his remains were transported by hearse to Hermon-Union Cemetery, where Ray was interred next to his wife Dorothy. A wake, with lots of family and friends present, was held at the Princeton Fire Hall afterwards. Ray was many things but longtime family friend and newspaper columnist Thad Bukowski summed it up a few days later when he wrote, “Last week Lawrence County lost perhaps its most treasured outdoorsman.”