a brief introduction

Our dear friend, Ray Goodman, made space for each of us to be our best selves. By his example, he called you to action! He challenged us to learn and to share with others. He was the embodiment of kindness.

He was a patriot and critic of our country, dressing as both Uncle Sam and Abraham Lincoln to bring attention to his causes. In the last decades of his life, Ray became a student at the intersection of mysticism and chemistry. He became an alchemist. He created “Ormusol” products that he claimed turned the base minerals of the Berkeley Springs water into healing medicine.

When Ray dressed as Lincoln, Berkeley Springs tourists would come to him for a photo-op and often leave with a sample of Ormusol. What a sneaky and delightful marketing ploy! It was one of the joyful ironies of a man who was completely loving and sincerely compelled to offer healing to people. He used to say all the time, “There’s a whole lot of sick people out there, and I just have to help them. Lincoln helped free the slaves and I am trying to free people of their illness.”

Toward the end of his life, Ray visited the Fairfax Coffee House almost every day. Always, there was a smile on his face, always a kind word, a hug… always asking “What can I do for you?”

We miss him terribly, and we are doing our best to honor his legacy. Thanks, Ray. We love you.