Ray Beauregard

Ray Beauregard, 77, passed away on December 19, 2025, in the home he built by hand for his family in Paoli, Indiana. He was surrounded by those he loved.

Ray was born in Ville Platte, Louisiana and raised in Pecos, Texas. He received a Master’s degree in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University and joined the Peace Corps, which took him to Ecuador. There he met Carol Micaela "Mica" Beauregard, the daughter of missionaries. They married and spent more than 50 years together.

Ray and Mica settled in Paoli, where he worked for decades as a custom furniture maker, woodworker, and teacher.

Ray made things his whole life—first as a furniture maker, then as an artist. He created paintings that he called "psychological and emotional portraits" of his inner life. His abstract expressionist work, primarily acrylics on canvas, was deeply personal and explored what he described as struggles with fear and anxiety, but also comfort and hope. His paintings have been shown at the Tomato Factory and are currently on display at the Lost River Market in Paoli.

His intelligence was quiet but deep. His creativity was massive and overflowing, carried humbly, yet always present. He created even when it was hard. Especially when it was hard. He pushed through mental states that would have stopped many people, and he did it with the steady support of his family and a stubborn devotion to making something meaningful. "I am always afraid and anxious before painting," he wrote, "but most days I forge ahead."

Ray was a master of people in a deeply human way. He understood philosophy, behavior, motivation, kindness. He had a way of guiding you into a different way of thinking, simply by how he lived.

He never took sides. Not because he didn’t care, but because he saw more than one truth at a time.

He lived in balance. He listened before he spoke. And when he did speak, it wasn’t to win or correct or impress. It was to understand. Or sometimes just to wonder out loud. He was not a regular churchgoer, but the Paoli Mennonite Fellowship was part of his extended family and community. He was also a founding member of the Creatives Group, where he and others could share their love of art and their own creations. He had a silly side, he loved jazz and classical music, collected vintage toys, and took joy in sharing them with his grandchildren.

Ray and Mica opened their home to many people over the years, including JR Karnes in 2000, who became part of their family.

He is survived by his wife, Mica Beauregard; children Daniel Beauregard (Christoper Brown), Espri Bender-Beauregard (Darren), and Emily Beauregard (William Martin); grandchildren Viola, Sylvia, and Eleanor Bender, and Connor and Adrian Martin; and brothers Mark and Steve Beauregard. He was preceded in death by his parents, Berline Warner Beauregard and Joanna Ward, and granddaughter Rylee Edelen.

Service: A service will be held in the spring. Details will be shared at a later time.

Donations: The family requests donations to Team Peace at beteampeace.org.

Arrangements by McAdams Mortuary. For condolences visit mcadamsmortuary.com.