Rafe died in 2008 at the age of 66 of esophageal cancer. He had a great teaching career in the intercity and taught at Cabrini Green bringing poetry and great concern for the students in the intercity. He had a daughter Josephine Lane and two granddaughters Madison Ruth and Samantha. Josephine's husband Johnny is in Afganistan and due home in July.
He spent the last years of his life with his sister Prysilla in Tucson area. He was her "best friend".
Rafe was probably my first friend when we moved to the Elburn area. He is a classmate that was a Friend in every sense of the word. One of my greatest memory of high school was junior Prom. Rafe and I went together with another couple. The theme was a "Paris" theme. Rafe decided to "borrow" a fresh baked apple pie from the decorations of a cafe. We took it with us to dinner in Aurora and the staff served it as dessert.
He loved a good joke, had a great sense of humor, and strong convictions about what was right and wrong.
When I think of Rafe, it is about all the good times I enjoyed at his home as it was a gathering place for a lot of our classmates. On many Saturdays we enjoyed a good poker game where Rafe and Bill Emberson usually won--- the losers were always Bill Redmer, John Paulson, Dennis Anderson, Norm Erickson, and myself. Also , we spent many summer days at the pond at his home---One time in particular , Rafe and I were playing king of the raft and ended up breaking my two front teeth which later died so I can blame my front falsies on him. Of course I would be remist if I didn't mention his two sisters .
Since my youth was revolved around baseball and football, I will not forget that I had a summer job as a councelor at the Boy Scout Camp at Kirkland and the only condition I would take the job was if I could come back to Elburn on Wednesday nights to play baseball. Rafe would pick me up every Wednesday and also take me back----plus he also drove to camp after our Sunday game.
Rafe played off. and def. tackle on the football team and was as good as any player on the team pound for pound. When we played Kirkland, he broke the quarterbacks arm on the opening kickoff.
There are other memories but they will remain in my private bank. After high school, I only saw Rafe one more time at one of the earliest reunions----at the time he was working in Chicago.
Often, I think back of the high school years and when I do, Rafe's name always pops up. Sorry I didn't have time to see him while he was doing all his good work in the city.
Kay Garvin
Rafe died in 2008 at the age of 66 of esophageal cancer. He had a great teaching career in the intercity and taught at Cabrini Green bringing poetry and great concern for the students in the intercity. He had a daughter Josephine Lane and two granddaughters Madison Ruth and Samantha. Josephine's husband Johnny is in Afganistan and due home in July.
He spent the last years of his life with his sister Prysilla in Tucson area. He was her "best friend".
Rafe was probably my first friend when we moved to the Elburn area. He is a classmate that was a Friend in every sense of the word. One of my greatest memory of high school was junior Prom. Rafe and I went together with another couple. The theme was a "Paris" theme. Rafe decided to "borrow" a fresh baked apple pie from the decorations of a cafe. We took it with us to dinner in Aurora and the staff served it as dessert.
He loved a good joke, had a great sense of humor, and strong convictions about what was right and wrong.
William Johnson
When I think of Rafe, it is about all the good times I enjoyed at his home as it was a gathering place for a lot of our classmates. On many Saturdays we enjoyed a good poker game where Rafe and Bill Emberson usually won--- the losers were always Bill Redmer, John Paulson, Dennis Anderson, Norm Erickson, and myself. Also , we spent many summer days at the pond at his home---One time in particular , Rafe and I were playing king of the raft and ended up breaking my two front teeth which later died so I can blame my front falsies on him. Of course I would be remist if I didn't mention his two sisters .
Since my youth was revolved around baseball and football, I will not forget that I had a summer job as a councelor at the Boy Scout Camp at Kirkland and the only condition I would take the job was if I could come back to Elburn on Wednesday nights to play baseball. Rafe would pick me up every Wednesday and also take me back----plus he also drove to camp after our Sunday game.
Rafe played off. and def. tackle on the football team and was as good as any player on the team pound for pound. When we played Kirkland, he broke the quarterbacks arm on the opening kickoff.
There are other memories but they will remain in my private bank. After high school, I only saw Rafe one more time at one of the earliest reunions----at the time he was working in Chicago.
Often, I think back of the high school years and when I do, Rafe's name always pops up. Sorry I didn't have time to see him while he was doing all his good work in the city.