Hudson – Donald R. “Ray” Picard, 86, of Hudson, died Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014 at Wingate of Sudbury. He leaves his beloved wife of 62 years, Florence M. (Hazen) Picard of Hudson.
Ray was born in West Warwick, R.I., son of the late Wilfred and Blanche (Plante) Picard. He was raised in Cambridge where he attended local schools. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University and was named All American twice as a goaltender for the Huskies.
During his college hockey career, he received the “Leonard M. Fowler Award” as New England’s most outstanding player and the “Walter A. Brown Award” for most outstanding college hockey player in New England. He was inducted into the Northeastern University Sports Hall of Fame and spent a short time as a goaltender with the Boston Bruins Farm System.
He was a WWII veteran, serving in the U.S. Marine Corps until being honorably discharged in 1948.
Ray was employed as a sales manager with the Lorillard Company of New York. He spent many years working from their Worcester office until his retirement in 1989. He spent a short time residing in Burlington before moving to Hudson where he had spent the past 50 years. He was a former member of Christ the King Parish in Hudson and was a current member of Saint Michael’s Parish in Hudson.
Ray was a devoted husband and father and loving grandfather and great-grandfather. He always looked forward to spending time with his family and loved to travel. He enjoyed golfing in his spare time and enjoyed sharing his passion for hockey as an instructor for local hockey clinics, specializing in goaltending. He enjoyed watching the birds come feed at his bird feeders. He will be truly missed.
Besides his wife, he is survived by his five children, James R. Picard and his wife Bonnie Jean of Antigonish, Nova Scotia; Mary B. Picard of Attleboro; Susan M. Picard of Seneca, S.C.; Cynthia A. Buchmeyer of San Antonio, Texas; and Denise F. Rigby and her husband Stephen of Suffield, Conn. He also leaves his 12 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral mass will be celebrated Saturday, Nov. 22, at 9 a.m., in Saint Michael’s Church, 21 Manning St., Hudson. Burial will follow in Saint Michael’s Cemetery of Hudson. Family and friends may attend calling hours Friday, Nov. 21, from 5-8 p.m., at the Tighe-Hamilton Funeral Home, 50 Central St., Hudson.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Ray may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts Chapter, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472.
