Michael Anthony Fay

Addressed as Tony in his youth, Michael Anthony Fay, age 93 passed from this life on October 7th in Somerville, MA. He is survived by five children (Sheila, Deirdre, Michael, Patrick and Daniel) and five grandchildren. Michael, second of six children (Rev. John Fay, Madeline McGrath, Imelda Shea, Sheila Sullivan and C. Vincent Fay), was born to Michael Charles Fay and Mary Ellen McGorman Fay in Ballymena, Northern Ireland on October 23, 1921. He emigrated to Rhode Island in 1924. He grew up in Olneyville (St. Mary’s on Broadway) and attended La Salle Academy before graduating from Central High School. Michael’s service in the Army Air Corps included time in Europe from September 1944 to March 1946. One event from the war that affected him deeply was his task to accompany Scandinavian journalists to Buchenwald shortly after it was liberated. He hoped that future generations would be spared a similar trauma. Baseball was one of his passions, an outlet he continued to pursue while attending Providence College following his return from the war. After one notable performance, the newspaper headline read, Fay Fools Brown Batsmen. Michael graduated with an Education degree from PC in 1947 and also received his Masters from Rhode Island College. After teaching in RI, Michael returned to France in 1952 to teach with the Dependent School System in Chateauroux where he became an administrator. He moved to West Berlin where he met his wife, Dorothy Rahm Fay and where Sheila was born. Deirdre was born in Cambridge while Michael attended Harvard to pursue his PhD. Michael, Patrick and Daniel were born in Frankfurt following Michael’s return to Germany. Michael also was principal of elementary schools in Frankfurt, Hanau and Augsburg Germany, as well as Kenitra, Morocco and Yokosuka, Japan. Michael was a thespian; he appeared in a USIS sponsored film, Sehn Sie, das ist Berlin that was shown at the 1956 Berlin Film Festival. Michael met some notable people as principal including two-time gold medal decathlete, Bob Mathias, Paul Anka and Muhammed Ali. Like many teachers, Michael and Dorothy were inveterate travelers, and shared their love with their children by exposing them to many different countries, cultures and museums! Michael was esteemed by his teachers and colleagues for his conscientiousness, loyalty and fairness—per one colleague, “He had grounding in the humanities that he considered important to pass on. This made him an educator first and an administrator second. Kudos to him!” He was also remembered for his hospitality; he opened his home to teachers and community members for St. Patrick’s Day and other holiday celebrations. Years afterward, former teachers —out of respect for Michael and Dorothy would offer their homes to the Fay kids who needed a place to stay. Michael was committed to his Catholic faith; he and Dorothy took the children to Mass regardless of where they traveled. Michael’s retirement to West Kingston RI in 1986 after 37 years of Federal service was serendipitous in this regard; for almost 25 years he was a 5 pm communicant of Christ the King Parish in Kingston—a church he loved. Health issues five years ago offered him the opportunity to live in Somerville, MA with Sheila and Deirdre where he was lovingly cared for by them until God called him home. Michael’s long standing admonition to hold family sacred was never better manifested than through his children’s affection and kindness shown him during this last phase of his life. Visiting Hours will be at the Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia Street, Wakefield, Wednesday October 14th from 9-10:30 am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 am in Christ the King Church, 180 Old North Road, Kingston. Burial with military honors will follow in the Rhode island Veterans memorial Cemetery, Exeter. To honor the kindness and support offered Michael, in lieu of flowers please send donations to: Medical Missionaries of Mary, 179 Highland Avenue, Somerville MA 02143.