Andover - Andover - Wesley Raymond Grace, of Andover, MA, Wesley Raymond Grace, age 84, of Andover, MA, passed away on August 22, 2024, at New Horizons in Marlborough, MA. He and his wife, Kay, had recently moved there after 56 years residing in Andover. Wesley suffered a stroke in 2023 and succumbed to vascular Alzheimer's disease.

Born on October 13, 1939, in Manchester, Connecticut, to Raymond and Virginia Grace, Wesley graduated from Weymouth High School in 1957. He pursued his passion for engineering, earning an Electrical Engineering degree from Cornell University in 1962 and a Master's degree from Northeastern University in 1969. He began his career at Raytheon before joining the Instrumentation Laboratory at MIT, where he contributed to the gyroscope guidance system for NASA's Apollo missions.

Wesley's engineering interests shifted towards Biomedical Engineering, where he dedicated the majority of his career to designing and troubleshooting medical devices. He worked for the American Pacemaker Corporation, where he secured a patent, and at Infusaid Corporation, designing drug pumps. Following Infusaid's acquisition, Wesley served as Chief Engineer at Zoll Medical Corporation in Cambridge, designing defibrillators. He later found his most fulfilling role troubleshooting for Quality Assurance, where he mentored, investigated, and resolved issues, before retiring in 2012.

Wesley met his wife, Kay, while working at MIT. They married in 1968 and settled in Andover, where they raised their family and shared 56 years together. Wesley cherished spending time with his friends and family, exploring the world with Kay, and revisiting favorite places such as the Three Mile Island family camp on Lake Winnipesaukee and Cape Cod. He enjoyed creating and sharing his creations, including poems, songs, and handmade furniture. His grandchildren delighted in working with him in his shop, where he renovated antique furniture from their 1852 house and barn.

Equally at home in nature and on Summer Street in Andover, Wesley loved canoeing, camping, and biking with his family. A lifelong member of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), he hiked New England's 67 4,000-foot peaks and skied most of its slopes. His passion for rock climbing led him on numerous adventures across the country with a close-knit group of friends.

Wesley is survived by his wife, Kay, his sons, Dave and Jeff, his daughters-in-law, Rica and Adriana, his grandchildren, Rachel, Maddox, Owen, and Lucas, his nephew, Mark Ridder, and cousins.

A private service will be held in June.