Celebration of Life Planned for Marty Reay

The Boursaws and the Reays have been connected through several generations on the Old Mission Peninsula. Both families are foundational pillars of the Peninsula dating back to the 1800s. My husband Tim’s dad, Tug Boursaw, and Marty Reay’s dad, Chum Reay, were cousins. When Tim was a youngster, his family rented a place from Chum in the village of Old Mission.

Tim and I got to know Marty better when Tim happened across an old truck that belonged to the Reays; the truck was discovered in the woods not far from where the Reay homestead was located out near the Lighthouse.

As he was growing up, Tim had seen that truck at the homestead, and when he discovered it in the woods, with the land owner’s permission, he removed the door from the truck and took it home. The door had the lettering, “M. Reay and Son,” accompanied by a picture of a large black bear on it. It was a cherished piece of OMP history, and Tim planned to display it in his shop.

Fast-forward about 40 years, and we still had that truck door. One summer at a Boursaw family reunion, Tim and Marty re-connected. Tim learned the origin of the truck, and they made a plan to return the door to its rightful owner — the Reay family. Read Tim’s interview with Marty here, and learn more about their connection and family history on the OMP.

It doesn’t end there. The following year, Marty received a birdhouse from his family at Christmas — it was in the shape of that truck with the Reay lettering on the door. Also, Marty’s son, Matt, put that lettering and logo on his fleet of trucks for his business downstate. Marty’s granddaughter, Belle, drew a picture of the truck for Tim and me, which I display proudly in our house.

There are certain families that have been on the Peninsula since the beginning, helping to shape it into the beloved place some of us are fortunate enough to call home. The Reays are one of those families.

Marty passed away in 2023, and his family is hosting a celebration of life for him tomorrow, August 24, 1 to 4 p.m., at the Old Mission Legion Hall in the village of Old Mission, 4001 Swaney Road.

Matt says that anyone who knew Marty is welcome to attend. They will provide food and beverages, and it will be a time to celebrate Marty’s life, tell stories and reminisce.

I can’t help but think that Marty, Tim, Tug and Chum are all swapping stories in the great beyond as I write this.

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