On March 16, 2017, Fern A. Grumbine (nee Ray) passed away, devoted mother of Cathi MacRae and husband Robin, Ed Grumbine and wife Li Li, Ann Fox and husband J.R., Ray Grumbine, Carol Grumbine-Hall and husband Warren, and Richard Grumbine; grandmother of Amy Rey, Lacy Rowan, Joe Fox, Elizabeth Clemons and Carl Grumbine; great-grandmother of Sarah, Sam, Carley, Nellie, Brody, Benjamin, Catherine and Josiah; aunt of Patricia Hall and Michael Sommers. She was predeceased by her parents Catherine Ruppert Ray and Milton Leroy Ray and sister Helen Ray Sommers.

Visiting at the Lassahn Funeral Home, Inc. 7401 Belair Road (Overlea) will be on Thursday, March 23, 2017, from 3-5 and 7-9 pm. Funeral services and interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Fern Grumbine Memorial Fund at St. Matthias Episcopal Church, 6400 Belair Road, Baltimore, MD 21206.
Fern Annette Ray was born on June 3, 1926, the first child of Catherine Ruppert Ray and Milton Leroy Ray. They lived on Marshall Street in south Baltimore, near the Episcopal Church of the Advent. Fern’s sister, Helen, was born a year and a half later.
At Southern High School, Fern flourished in academics and was active in school clubs and other activities, including the school newspaper and concert choir -- an early expression of what would become a lifelong affinity for music. After graduating in the Class of 1944, she went to Western Maryland College – now called McDaniel College. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in English. There she met Robert Grumbine – whom she married in 1947.

The couple moved to Durham, North Carolina, so that Robert could attend seminary at Duke University. After they returned to Baltimore, their first child, Catherine, was born in 1950. Ten months later, one of the most significant events in Fern’s life occurred: they moved to Valdez, Alaska, where Robert became the pastor of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany.

Only five hundred people lived in Valdez, where 300 to 500 inches of snow fell each winter. The young family added to the population: Edward was born in 1953 and Ann arrived in 1956. Raymond was born in 1957 in Seward, Alaska. Fern taught Sunday School and edited sermons.

Fern also volunteered to create Valdez’s first public library, cataloging books with the Dewey Decimal system and typing catalogue cards. Most books were donated. Residents valued the library so much that eventually, it got a budget. She also catalogued her own books, her husband’s religious books, and books in parish libraries. Fern also became a substitute teacher in the elementary school, and instilled a love of reading in all her own children, three of whom are published authors.

Then the family moved to Sitka, Alaska, to St. Peter’s-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. This island town in southeastern Alaska had much less snow than Valdez. Founded by Russian settlers in the early 1800s, it featured a glorious Russian Orthodox church with a gold, onion-shaped dome. There, in 1962, Fern and Robert’s fifth child, Carol, was born in the new 49th state.

In both Valdez and Sitka, Fern started Brownie and Junior Girl Scout troops -- and later, a Brownie troop for her daughter Ann in Maryland.

After eleven years in Alaska, it was time to go home to Maryland. The couple accepted a two-church ministry at Grace Episcopal Church in tiny New Market—known for its antique shops—and at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Frederick, the county seat, about an hour’s drive from Baltimore. Fern’s and Robert’s last child, Richard, was born in Frederick in 1963.

When her marriage ended in 1975, Fern built a new life for herself, eventually buying a house in Baltimore on Northern Parkway, chosen so she could be near her beloved St. Matthias Episcopal Church. She had room for her massive personal library of catalogued books and recordings of classical music and opera, as well as her collection of dolls -- some of which were antique -- as well as teddy bears and stamps. She enjoyed season tickets for the Baltimore Symphony, and took several guided tours to Europe – one with her daughter, Carol.

Her handmade doll clothes, often made to benefit church activities, were famous. Fern also made clothes for her children, often with beautiful embroidery.

Fern’s heart brimmed with public spiritedness. For many years, she volunteered in two elementary-school libraries in the Baltimore area, forming an enduring friendship with the school principal, a member of her church. She traveled to Colorado, Arizona, California, Vermont, and New Hampshire to visit her children. About twelve years ago, Fern made a donation to the Putney Public Library in Vermont, which now has a floor stone in its entrance with her name on it, including this inscription: “Lover of Books and Children.”

Fern lived alone, with many members of her expanding family nearby in Baltimore and Baltimore County. Survivors include her daughters Catherine, Ann and Carol, sons Edward, Raymond and Richard, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Fern was a devout member of St. Matthias Episcopal Church on Belair Road in Baltimore, where she sang in the choir for many years. Her private funeral service will be held there.

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