Aug 13, 1936 - Apr 08, 2026

• Raymond (Ray) Edward Alfred Harris

Raymond (Ray) Edward Alfred Harris passed away on April 8^th, 2026 in his 90^th year at Ruddy-Shenkman Hospice, across the street from his home of 38 years, with family at his side.

Predeceased by his parents John and Evelyn, and his brother John, Ray is survived by his daughter Robin (David), son Jonathan, stepchildren Victoria and Lorne Kerr, grandchildren Chris (Taylor), Drake (Alexa), Rhian and Nolan and his companion of 27 years, Ursula.

Born in the East End of London U.K., Ray’s childhood memories/stories revolved around the Blitz and his evacuation to the countryside of Devon with his mother and older brother.  Most notable was the tale of how he accidently set a Rolls Royce on fire when playing with matches during the evacuation.

With the encouragement of his family, Ray followed in his older brother’s footsteps (they already had the books!) and studied Architecture at the South East Essex Technical in Dagenham, receiving a degree in Architecture from Regent Street Polytechnic (University of Westminster) in 1958.  He was admitted as an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1962 and admitted to the Ontario Association of Architects in 1964.

Shortly after graduation, Ray married his first wife Patricia (Pat).  As with many of his generation in London, career advancement opportunities at the time were limited, leading Ray and Pat to make the decision to seek prospects abroad “in the colonies”. They travelled by freighter to Canada in the fall of 1959 and went to Ottawa to join family who had made the same trip before them.  After an unsuccessful job search in Ottawa, they made their way to Toronto where both he and Pat secured employment.

In 1964, one year after the birth of their daughter Robin, an opportunity to join an emerging firm in Ottawa arose and the family moved to the west end in time for the arrival of their son Jonathan. During his time with Craig and Kohler architects, Ray worked on schools, libraries and public buildings throughout the city including the Carleton University School of Architecture building.  It was during work on schools in the original Beaverbrook area of Kanata in 1967 that the decision was made to purchase a family home in this new development. During his early years in Kanata, Ray enjoyed the badminton league and volunteered as a cub scout Akela.

In 1970, Ray embarked on a secondment to CIDA for the purpose of designing and overseeing the building of schools in Barbados.  Ray and family lived in Barbados for three years during which he developed his love of sailing, taking several adventurous trips with the family between the islands navigating with only the stars and a transistor radio.  Ray retained a special attachment to the island for the remainder of his life.

After returning to Canada, Ray took a position with Transport Canada where he worked on airport design across Canada and also in the British Caribbean including a 3 year stint in Antigua. Ray continued at Transport Canada until his retirement in 1998.

After his second marriage ended, Ray’s retirement years (or final chapter) were spent with his companion Ursula, volunteering with the Legion, taking RV trips to Florida and BC, visiting with his grandchildren, enjoying his timeshare at Calabogie and escaping to Barbados each November. After he lost his eyesight in his early 80s due to complications from diabetes, he spent most of his time enjoying his home in Kanata listing to his favourite classical music, and following the Senators.

The family would like to thank the team at Ontario Health at Home including NP Kelly who supported his wish to live independently with the assistance of Ursula for as long as possible after his melanoma metastasized. The family would also like to thank the staff and volunteers at Ruddy-Shenkman Hospice who went above and beyond to provide compassionate care during his final days.

In accordance with his wishes, a Celebration of Life and interment of ashes will be held in his favourite “Island in the Sun” Barbados at a later date.

A donation in Ray’s memory may be made to the Ruddy-Shenkman Hospice or the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism, Carleton University.