Helen Ranere Gay

Helen Ranere Gay, 95, of Salem, passed away Monday, April 20, 2020. She was born on September 17, 1924 in Hammonton, NJ, a daughter of the late Charles and Minnie Berenato Ranere. She was also preceded in death by her husband Clark Franklin Gay. Surviving are her children, Clark Anthony "Tony" Gay and wife Lisa Secord-Gay; her daughter, Alicia Gay; several nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews. Mrs. Gay was a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in education. She was a chief dietician in Saginaw and Ann Arbor, MI, until finally transferring to the Salem VA Medical Center where she served as chief dietician until her retirement after a total of 34 years working with the veteran affairs medical system. She was a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church; the OLPH Women's Club, the American Dietary Association and the Southwest Virginia Dietary Association. A private Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated for the family at Our Lady of Perpetual Help with Rev. Ken Shuping officiating. She will later be laid to rest next to her husband in Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Hammonton, NJ. She will be remembered as a lover of animals, and as such, memorial contributions may be made to the Salem SPCA, or to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church.