The death of Ray E. Pettigrew, age 86, of Bloomfield, NB, occurred at the Saint John Regional Hospital, NB, on March 11, 2012. He was the husband of the late Helen (Durley) Pettigrew. Ray was born on December 21, 1925, in Amherst, NS, the son of the late Thomas and Olive (Weeks) Pettigrew. Ray was a very kind and loving man. Everywhere he went he made friends, he made it hard for anyone to forget him. He was always there when you needed him. He gave many of us the knowledge and tools to make it through life. He didn’t show us affection all the time but we all knew he loved us. He showed it in his own special way with each of us. Ei. Spit and a handshake, couple taps on the back with a "Don’t get fagety on me" comment. This made us laugh every time but we knew he loved us deeply. If we were down and out he was there to pick us back up. Gramps was the type to never give up on anything, that’s why in the end it was so hard for all of us to accept that he was leaving us, and giving up on the illness. We know he had to for our sake and his. He was in a lot of pain and no matter how strong you are; sometimes there is a place where you need to draw the line. We were there with him till the end to keep him comfortable and look after him as he looked after us all these years. Gramps was a big influence on a lot of people lives. He was a very good bricklayer/mason, he worked for many companies from Halifax to Texas, and so he left his mark all over. In his younger years he worked in the woods cutting trees the hard way without gas powered saws, also worked on his family farm. He worked in the Spring Hill Mine for a short time. He harvested the best maple syrup for many years after his retirement. He picked tipps for other to make wreaths at Christmas time. He loved to tinker around with mechanics, he built many buggies ei. Stockcars, three-wheeler, woods rigs and the list goes on. He also had a 24/7 side business, which he was in competition with Carl Chase for a few years. Gramps was the second youngest of 16 children, he was born at home on the family farm in Amherst NS. He loved to hunt and fish and taught his children & grandchildren how to, and we all went with him many times. Gramps was a family man and on his last days, we were all with him and he wanted a picture of all of us so we could keep it, he said family is all we got so hold on to them forever. He will be missed forever and will never be forgotten. Ray is survived by daughters Faye Farrow of NS, Hannah Tays (Arnold) of Bloomfield, NB, Bonny Travis (Taze) of Mechanic Settlement, NB; sons Roy Pettigrew (Shirley) of NS, Carl Chase (Heather) of Bloomfield, NB; several grandchildren, several great grandchildren; sister Evelyn Baker of Amherst, NS; several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by sons Donald and Ronald Jackson; daughter Cathleen Pettigrew and fourteen brothers and sisters. A celebration of Ray’s life, will be held at Sherwood’s Funeral Home and Life Tribute Centre (506-839-2156), 18 Scovil Road, Norton, NB, on Friday, March 16, 2012 at 11:00 am. Interment will follow in Christ Church Cemetery, Bloomfield. Donations to the Christ Church Cemetery or the memorial of the donor’s choice would be appreciated. Condolences to the family may be made through www.sherwoodsfuneralhome.com