Ray Bane

Jul 14, 1936 -

Nov 1, 2024

Gilbert Ray Bane passed away peacefully at home in Maui, Hawaii, on Nov. 1, 2024. Ray was born on July 14, 1936, in Wellsburg, W.Va. He met his wife, Barbara Ann Cox, in junior high school in Wheeling, W.Va. After marrying in 1959 and finishing college, they planned to spend one year teaching at Sheldon Jackson School in Sitka, Alaska. After Sitka, Ray and Barbara taught school in Barrow - now Utqiagvik. The following year they transferred even closer to the heart of the Arctic to the village of Wainwright.

While Ray and Barbara taught math and science inside the village schoolhouse, outside the classroom the Banes became apprentices of their Inupiat friends and neighbors. Ray took up dog mushing and learned to hunt walrus to feed his team. Barbara learned to skin seals. Village Elders eventually honored the Banes by bestowing them with spirit Inupiat names: Otoiyuk for Ray; Ekaluk for Barbara.

Over time the Banes would live and work in eight rural Alaska villages and visit dozens more in their travels. Their one-year experiment in Alaska grew into a life-long vocation to serve the people and places they revered.

In 1974, Ray and Barbara took a leave of absence from teaching to take a 1200-mile journey by dog sled from their cabin along the Koyukuk River to the west coast of Alaska, north to Utqiagvik, on to Wainwright. Following their two-month odyssey, Ray was offered a job with the National Park Service. From then on, the Banes cast their lot in helping to protect wild places and ancient ways of life.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed 17 national monuments. Ray's work in the Arctic helped determine the map for Gates of the Arctic NP. As Alaska's northernmost representatives of the National Park Service, Ray and Barbara endured the full brunt of their community's wrath. The wood they had collected for the winter was stolen. Ray's airplane was vandalized. The park service offered to move the Banes to the safety of Anchorage, Alaska. But Ray understood the uncertainty and frustration of his neighbors. Instead of retreating, Ray worked tirelessly to encourage and educate not only his community but villages across the north about the value of setting aside wilderness for future generations.

Always an optimist, Ray enjoyed the wilderness where he found it, and one place was Turnagain Arm where he loved to windsurf. Ray brought this passion to every place he worked including the frigid waters of Kotzebue Sound. Ray met Janice Tower windsurfing in Turnagain Arm. Ray and Barbara became lifelong friends with the Towers, adopting each other as family.

Ray and Barbara were visionary in their commitment to the wild lands they loved. During a volatile time in Alaska's history, they stood bravely to preserve the public lands that are today some of our greatest national treasures. The only thing Ray and Barbara loved more than the wilderness they strove to protect was each other. Their story is told in more detail in "Our Perfect Wild: Ray and Barbara Bane's Journeys and the Fate of the Far North" (University of Alaska Press 2016).

After living in Alaska for 36 years, Ray and Barbara moved to Maui where they enjoyed a quiet and warm retirement. Ray continued to windsurf mast-high waves and ride his bicycle as a member of the Upcountry Cyclists. Ray rode 25 miles, five times per week, including the day he died. Ray is preceded in death by Barbara, the love of his life. He leaves many adoring friends in Upcountry Maui and Alaska.

For those who wish to contribute to Ray's memory, donations to the Maui Humane Society or Hospice Maui are appreciated.