Ron (Riff) Raftery passed quietly Saturday, June 22, 2019 of natural causes in the loving company of his wife of 62 years Patti, and their children Kelly and Mike.

Ron and Patti recently returned to their longtime home of Winchester KY, where Patti still resides at Brooks Place senior living community. Ron was born and raised in Newark Ohio by Dorothy Raftery and her extended family.

Ron graduated from St Francis de Sales High School in Newark in 1956.

Ron and Patti Church Raftery, who attended and graduated from Newark High School met during their high school years dating and dancing through the heart of the ‘50s. They married in July of 1957.

Both Ron and Patti worked at the Newark Rockwell International plant until the birth of their daughter Kelly in 1960 when Patti stayed home to raise the family. In November 1964 Patti and Ron had their second child Michael.

In 1968, Ron was offered a position of Specifications Engineer at Rockwell’s new Winchester KY facility.

Ron accepted the challenge and the family relocated to the bluegrass state. The move away from the comfort of lifelong friends and family in Newark was daunting for Ron and Patti, but proved to bear the fruits of a happy family.

Ron served on the board at St Agatha Academy where both his children attended and he was also active in activities at St Joseph Catholic church where they recently returned worshiping.

Ron’s career at Rockwell thrived, and he gained many personal and professional relationships. His innate care for doing the right thing, caring for customers, having fun, and helping his peers succeed made him happy at work.

During the mid ‘70s other career opportunities presented themselves, but they required moves to other states. His commitment to the success of his teenage children and happiness of his wife outweighed the promise of career progression, and he elected to remain in Kentucky.

He loved his time and the people at Rockwell in Winchester.

While Ron continued at Rockwell, Patti thrived in many activities including Newcomers Club, Winchester Women’s Club, St Agatha PTA, and many bridge clubs.

“Dad” was always there for his children supporting Kelly’s love of art and Mike’s sports activities. He never missed an event or a game. Kelly and Mike both graduated high in their classes at a George Rogers Clark HS, 1979 and 1983 respectively.

Ron’s hard work afforded the family many opportunities to travel the United States on family vacations to places many families of the time did not have the privilege to enjoy. Too many trips to name including Houghton Lake Michigan, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain National Park, The Tetons, Arches/Zion, the Oregon Coast, Grand Canyon, and of course Buckeye Lake with family in Ohio.

Upon Rockwell closing its facility in Winchester in the mid 80’s, Ron and Patti were relocated to Rockwell/Meritor’s facility in Florence KY along with several of his Winchester co-workers. Their time in Northern KY was equally fulfilling for the empty nesters where they made many new friends. Ron retired from Rockwell/Meritor in 2001 after 44 years of service.

They enjoyed several years in their Florence home with a beautifully landscaped yard until 2009 when they moved to a lovely townhome in Union with views of rolling hills and a horse farm.

Kelly went on to graduate from the University of Kentucky with a BS in Social Service Administration. Kelly and her husband of 33 years, Ron Crisci reside in Winchester, KY.

Mike attended UK and went on to graduate from Colorado State University with a BS in Construction Management. Mike and wife of 31 years Elizabeth (Walden) Raftery reside in Dallas, TX and have two children; Austin and Abigail. Austin is a 2018 graduate of the University of Texas, Austin with a BA in Economics. Abigail is a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma with a major in Advertising.

Dad/Grampy, Rest easy, you did a great job as husband and father. You will be forever loved, remembered, and sorely missed.

Ron will be buried in his childhood home of Newark in the St Joseph Cemetery. A grave side service, open to friends and family will be held Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.

Thoughts and well wishes may be forwarded to Patti at: Brooks Place, 200 Rose Mary Drive, Apt. 214, Winchester, KY 40391.