PERRY – He achieved statewide recognition with his folksy ads about his son, 2nd Congressional District Republican nominee Kevin Raye.

Harry Raye, 82, died Monday at an Eastport nursing home after a long illness.

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe’s former chief of staff Kevin Raye may have lost to Democrat Michael Michaud in 2002, but Harry Raye’s popularity with the public continued until his death.

“A man of unwavering convictions and beliefs, Harry will be profoundly missed by his family and friends whose lives he touched with his kindness,” Snowe said. “He was a close friend whom I deeply respected and admired, particularly for his dedication to his family and Harry was a strong person with a warm heart who waged a courageous battle. Like so many others, I consider myself very fortunate to have been counted among his many friends – and will miss him tremendously.”

During the race for the congressional seat, Harry Raye made several political ads using his distinct Down East accent to praise his son, one of eight in the family.

Eastport City Clerk Helen Archer, who said she had known Raye for more than 50 years, recalled those ads. “I used to joke about the ads and called him a movie star and he’d laugh,” she said. “He said he did it to help his son.”

Raye’s second cousin Nancy Raye, president of Raye’s Mustard in Eastport, also talked about Harry Raye’s short stint on television and radio. “He told me jokingly one day. … he had been a Democrat all of his life,” she said. “And he went and changed his registration so he could vote for his son. So he said to Kevin, ‘So you’d

better be worth it.'”

Raye did more than just make political ads for his son. He was an electrician and a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. For several years, he was a part-time Washington County deputy sheriff.

During World War II he served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps in the China-Burma-India Theater, where he was a radio operator on multiple missions “flying the hump” through the enemy-controlled Khyber Pass in Afghanistan carrying high-octane fuel to Allied Chinese forces. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.

Eastport City Manager George “Bud” Finch said Raye, a lifelong resident, was a deep-rooted Down Easter. “He was well-known and respected as a member of the community,” Finch said. “His calming nature and sense of humor will be sadly missed by all of those who have ever been touched by his presence.”

But it was his son Kevin who captured the essence of his father’s life. “Dad set an example through his devotion to my mother, to his own parents and to all of his eight sons, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Our family feels tremendous sorrow at his loss,” he said. “But we are deeply thankful that his valiant battle with cancer is over. We will be forever grateful for the opportunity to share him with the people of Maine during the 2002 campaign, and for the way in which he touched a chord that resulted in an outpouring of love and respect for him. His modesty about his service in World War II was typical of the Greatest Generation, but he was a true American hero.”

He is survived by his wife, Frances, and their eight children.