It is with regret, I post the following obituary. I only had brief communications with Ray, but know of all his wonderful genealogical work and the publications that helped so many of us. I'm sure he will be deeply missed by everyone in the Antigonish community as well as those from far away.............. Linda Halifax Herald April 2, 2004 MacLEAN, Raymond A. - 76, of Lanark, Antigonish Co., died suddenly on March 31, 2004, in St. Martha's Regional Hospital. Born in Mulgrave, he was a son of the late James and Augusta (Gillis) MacLean. He was educated at St. Francis Xavier University, the University of Alberta and the University of Toronto. He taught school early in his career in Nova Scotia and Alberta. Upon completion of his Ph.D., he began teaching in the Faculty of History at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, where he was also Department Head for a number of years. He also taught at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. A prolific writer and researcher, he authored and edited eight books, primarily on the Scots in Atlantic Canada. One of his best known books was "Beyond the Atlantic Roar." Many of these books remain widely used across North America as references on the topic. His work was also published in the Globe and Mail and the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. He served as the Nova Scotia Representative on the Historic Sites and Monuments of Canada from 1977 to 1987. He also served on the Board of Governors of the Nova Scotia Museum from 1980 to 1997. In 1990, he received the Phyllis R. Blakely Lifetime Achievement Award for "outstanding cultural contribution to the Province of Nova Scotia." He was also actively involved in the Antigonish Highland Society and was instrumental in establishing the Antigonish Heritage Museum. He was very proud of the fact that he was descended from two families of Scottish pioneers, Donald MacLean of Barra, Scotland, and Donald "Oban" Gillis of Oban, Scotland. He did a tremendous amount of work in the area of Nova Scotian genealogy and helped many people in the United States and Canada to research their family histories. Surviving are his wife, Betty; daughter, Margaret (Colin Fowles), Vancouver; sons, Colin (Allison), Bedford; Neil (Annette) Vancouver; grandchildren, Conor and Julia; stepchildren, Elizabeth Dunn Skolde, Calgary; Helen MacLean, Dartmouth; Catherine Dunn, London, England; Phillip Dunn, London, Ont.; Michael, Toronto; Patrick Dunn, Calgary; step-grandchildren, Elyssa, Laura, Rhetta, Brook and Lyvia; sisters, Pauline MacLean, Halifax; Dolly MacDonald, Dartmouth; brother, Patton, Saskatoon, Sask. He was predeceased by his first wife, Catherine Elizabeth (Gillow); brothers, Colin, John and James; sisters, Helen, Jean, Agnes and Margaret. Visitation will be today from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. and Saturday 11-1:30 p.m., both in MacIsaac Funeral Home, Antigonish. Liturgy of Christian Burial 2 p.m. on Saturday in St. Ninian's Cathedral, Rev. Ray Huntley presiding. Donations may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association. www.MacIsaacs.ca