Fay W. McBrayer, 80, passed away, Jan. 2, 2012, in Bellevue, Wash.

She was born June 6, 1931, in Birmingham, Alabama.  She had been a resident of both Mercer Island and Lopez Island, WA, for the past 20 years.

She was preceded in death by her two children, Michael E. McBrayer and Jennie M. Bostwick.

She is survived by her husband of 58 years, H. Eugene McBrayer; a son-in-law, M. Chris Bostwick, of Newcastle, WA; four grandchildren, Jessica K. Osborn, of Port Orchard, WA, Shane M. Dukes, of Richland, WA, Christopher R. McBrayer, of Port Orchard, WA, and Stephanie F. McBrayer, of Bellingham, Wash; and three great-grandchildren, Lianne M. Osborn, of Wilsonville, Ore., Tiffany M. Osborn, of Port Orchard, Wash., and Eliza Gene Macklin, of Bellingham, Wash.

Fay attended Ward Belmont College in Nashville, Tenn., and Birmingham Southern College in Birmingham, Ala.  Fay and Gene married in 1953, lived their early years in Baton Rouge, La., and then moved to Westport, Conn., in 1964, where they lived until they retired to the Pacific Northwest in 1992.

During those 28 years in Connecticut, they raised their family; Gene worked as an executive for Exxon Mobil; and Fay passionately volunteered her energy and love to many community service organizations, most of which involved caring for children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

A shining example is STAR, Inc. — Lighting the Way, of Norwalk, Conn.

After moving to Mercer Island and Lopez Island, Fay redirected her compassion and energy into Alcoholics Anonymous -— particularly in helping women, and especially newcomers to meetings, to overcome the ravages of alcohol addiction.

She was an active member of the Eastside AA Intergroup and the Alano Club of Bellevue.  Two days before her death, she spoke at her favorite Saturday women’s group meeting — all who attended were blessed.

Fay’s ashes were buried in a private, family inurnment ceremony, next to her two precious children in their family plot at Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery in Seattle. Her epitaph reads:

“She treasured what was common and what was priceless equally.

She wrestled hard with the angels and she made of her life something particular and real.

We will miss how she looked into our deepest parts, no matter how dark, no matter how lonely, and called them precious…”

A Memorial Service to celebrate Fay’s wonderful life will be held at the Mercer Island Presbyterian Church on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to “The Fay W. McBrayer Memorial Scholarship Fund” at STAR, Inc. – Lighting the Way, a leading not-for-profit organization serving the intellectually/developmentally disabled of all ages.  They are located at: 182 Wolfpit Ave., Norwalk, CT 06851. For more info, go to the following website — www.starinc-lightingtheway.org/   Click on “donate” and check “The Fay W. McBrayer Memorial Scholarship Fund”. Donations to this scholarship fund will be matched, one for one.