Fay Marie Renaud Ritcey of Port St. Lucie, Florida, who grew up and raised her family in Everett, died on Friday, October 16, 2026. She was 94.
She was born on April 11, 1932 in Brunswick, Maine, to William and Flora Bell Renaud, and moved to Everett at the age of six. Here she met and married Ralph J. Ferrara, who died before her, and here they raised their children in a house full of music and church. She later lived in Westwood.
Caring for people was her work and her habit. She helped raise her grandchildren, worked as a family nanny, and looked after the elderly, including members of her own congregation, well into old age. In 1995 she moved to Florida and joined Port St. Lucie Bible Church, where she stayed active with friends, her faith and the outdoors. The family came south to visit “Great Nanny.” She read, and she liked country music.
She leaves her son Ralph J. Ferrara Jr. and his wife Beth of Westfield; her sister Carol J. Kerr of Saugus, whose husband Duncan has died; her grandchildren Carmen Ferrara and his wife Kate of Canton, Shayne Ferrara and his wife Sarah of Hingham, and Jessica Ferrara of Westfield; six great-grandchildren, William, Claire, Daniel, Sadie, Beau and Ryder; her cousin John Covino; her friend and caregiver Vana Kinchen; and her pastor, John Paul. Her daughter Sharon Eastham and Sharon’s husband Paul, and her siblings Roberta, Richard and Keith, died before her.
A visitation is Tuesday, November 3 at 11 a.m. at the J.F. Ward Funeral Home, 772 Broadway, Everett, followed by a funeral service at noon and burial at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett. The family asks that memorial gifts go to Port St. Lucie Bible Church, pslbiblechurch.org.
Compiled from information published by J.F. Ward Funeral Home, 772 Broadway, Everett. Photograph courtesy of the family via J.F. Ward. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
