[Cabin and Addition Donors and Namesakes]
[Bray Cabin]
built in 1955
© FNCA late 1940s Birth
Ida Leonora "Orah" Hutchins was born April 8, 1877 in South Eliot ME (just north of Kittery in the southeast corner of Maine) to Henry B. and Mary O. (Brooks) Hutchins. Her father was a carpenter and later the owner of Hutchins Pharmacy, which opened on July 3, 1916 in Brunswick ME.
She grew up in Portland ME, but the family summered at her grandparents home in South Eliot. Growing up on the coast of Maine, Orah developed a very strong, life-long affection for the ocean.
At the age of 20, Orah married George Henry Allen in Portland ME on August 18, 1897. Exactly when or how George died has not yet turned up, but at some point, Orah became a widow.
Early in 1908, Orah was confirmed into the New Church by Rev. James Reed. On June 29, 1908, Orah married Rev. Everett K. Bray at the Church of the New Jerusalem (now the Church on the Hill) in Boston MA, also officiated by Rev. James Reed. At the time, Rev. Bray, who had been ordained 8 months earlier on October 20, 1907, was serving his first pastorate: the Church of the New Jerusalem (now Portland New Church) in Portland ME.
The Brays continued on there until 1911 when, because of Rev. Bray's ill health, they moved to Florida for a year where Orah "found satisfaction and joy in their work with a Cuban mission."1
Next, following Rev. Bray's career, the couple were at the New Church in Indianapolis IN for a year and a half; and then in St. Paul MN at the Virginia St. Church from 1913-1929.
Towards the end of 1921, they adopted baby Elizabeth "Betty" Bray soon after her birth. After that, Orah and her family spent 17 summers on Peaks Island off the Portland coast in Casco Bay.
Orah and Betty on Peaks Island in the late 1950s
In 1930, the family moved to Cambridge MA where Rev. Bray began the final step in his career: teaching theology and pastoral care at the New Church Theological School and preaching at the Swedenborg Chapel.
On Jun 9, 1945, their daughter Betty married Rafael Manual Julio Guiu y de Llerena, who was known as simply Ray Guiu. Orah's 3 granddaughters Cecilia "Lala" Guiu, Cristina "Tina" Guiu, and Gloria "Glo" Guiu were born in 1945, 1948, and 1950.
In 1947, after slipping and falling on the ice, Rev. Bray very quickly moved from having trouble with his eyesight to being completely blind within a year.
© FNCA early 1950sOrah & Everett at the beach in Cape Cod in the early 1950s
Throughout their 46-year marriage, Orah did not work outside the home, but did a lot of reading, typing, and research for Rev. Bray, especially after he lost his sight.
Orah died August 21, 1954, while attending the FNCA camp session. Her obituary, with the full story of her death, is on this site here.
1. The New-Church Messenger, October 16, 1954.
A huge THANKS to:
Cristina "Tina" (Guiu) Wood, granddaughter of Orah Bray, for much of the family info as well as the photos in this article.