Ray T. Mentzer Jr. ’56

 Ray died March 28, 2024, in Manchester, Conn.

He came to us from Haverford and Lawrenceville, where he played basketball on two championship teams. At Princeton, he continued basketball and the clarinet in the marching band. He ate at Cannon and majored in psychology, followed by a doctorate at Purdue. Helping others with his clinical skills was his life’s theme, including founding Self Help, an anti-poverty agency in Brockton, Mass., and the Wheeler Clinic, a community health center in Plainville, Conn. While building these agencies, he was assisted by a volunteer teacher, Barbara Ann Spillman, whom he married after what she describes as a “25-year whirlwind courtship.”

Ray and Barb never had their own children, but his drive to help was reflected in his relationships with clients, relatives, and friends. As his cousins were growing up, he listened, comforted, and guided. To friends who were struggling, he gave encouragement and humor. He was especially interested in helping military veterans, which he balanced with pursuing organic gardening.

Ray is survived by Barb; Ashley Camp who became like a son to them; Ashley’s wife Vallen; and numerous cousins.