The Boursaws and the Reays have been connected for several generations on the Old Mission Peninsula. Both families are mainstays of the peninsula, dating back to the 1800s. My husband Tim’s father, Tug Boursaw, and Marty Reay’s father, Chum Reay, were cousins. When Tim was young, his family rented a house from Chum in the village of Old Mission.
Tim and I got to know Marty better when Tim happened upon an old truck belonging to the Reays; the truck was discovered in the woods not far from the Reays’ property near the lighthouse.
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As a child, Tim had seen this truck on his homestead. When he found it in the woods, he took the door off the truck with the landowner’s permission and took it home. On the door was the words “M. Reay and Son” and a picture of a large black bear. It was a valuable piece of OMP history and Tim wanted to display it in his shop.
Fast forward about 40 years and we still had the truck door. One summer at a Boursaw family reunion, Tim and Marty were reunited. Tim learned where the truck came from and they hatched a plan to return the door to its rightful owner – the Reay family. Read Tim’s interview with Marty here and learn more about their connection and family history at the OMP.
But that’s not all. The following year, Marty’s family gave him a birdhouse for Christmas – it was shaped like the truck with the Reay lettering on the door. Marty’s son Matt also put the lettering and logo on his fleet of trucks for his company in the south of the state. Marty’s granddaughter Belle painted a picture of the truck for Tim and me, which I proudly display in our house.
There are certain families who have lived on the peninsula since its inception and helped make it the beloved place that some of us are fortunate to call home. The Reays are one of those families.
Marty passed away in 2023 and his family is hosting a celebration of his life tomorrow, August 24th, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Old Mission Legion Hall in the Village of Old Mission, 4001 Swaney Road.
Matt says anyone who knew Marty is welcome. There will be food and drinks and it will be an opportunity to celebrate Marty’s life, tell stories and reminisce.
As I write this, I am reminded of Marty, Tim, Tug, and Chum exchanging stories in the afterlife.
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SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started the Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt called to provide local news to the Old Mission Peninsula community. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal, all I really wanted to do was write about my own community, where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
Because the Old Mission Gazette is a “reader-supported newspaper” – meaning it only exists thanks to your financial support – I hope you’ll give us a few dollars when I mention your event, business, organization or news, or if you just enjoy reading about what’s happening at the OMP. In a time when local news is a thing of the past, supporting an independent local newspaper is more important than ever. Thank you for your support! – Jane Boursaw, Editor/Publisher, Old Mission Gazette
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