Raphaela Seymour

April 23, 2019

Geneva - Raphaela “Rae” (Ferraro) Seymour, age 97, of Geneva NY, passed away peacefully April 23, 2019 at Hildebrandt Hospice Care Center in Greece, NY. Friends may call from 2:00 - 5:00 PM on Sunday, April 28th at DeVaney-Bennett Funeral Home, 181 N. Main St. Geneva, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, April 29th at 10:00 AM at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church. Burial will follow in the Mausoleum at St. Mary’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Rae's memory, can be made to Hildebrandt Hospice Center, Ridgeway Avenue, Rochester, NY 14626 or the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Rae, also known to many as Raffle, was born on February 14, 1922, in Geneva, the daughter of the late Nicola and Rafaella Gillotte Ferraro. She was a life resident of Geneva, graduating from Geneva High School and Mildred Freeman Business School. Rae worked for more than 30 years at the Deluxe Restaurant in Geneva. She was also employed after business school at Sampson Naval Training Center, the VA Hospital in Canandaigua, NY and the NYS Experiment Station prior to starting her family. Rae was a member of St. Francis de Sales Church. She enjoyed cooking, gardening, sewing, quilting, crocheting, card playing with her friends Mary Lou and Lottie on Friday nights, having fun at the casino, going on cruises with her sisters, and many decades of her favorite pastime bowling at the Sunset Bowl, where she was a repeat member of the 600 Club. Rae is survived by her son, Gary of Rochester; daughters, Susan (Doyle) Hagood of Florida, and Betty Ann (Dan) Miller of Webster, NY; four grandchildren: Becky (Selly) Calabrese and Bill Hagood of Shanghai, China, Matthew and Haylee Miller of Webster, NY; one great-grandchild, the apple of her eye, Brooklynne Velez; sisters, Louise Lawson, Yolanda George of Geneva, and Joyce Bergman of New Jersey; sister-in-law, Babe (Tom) Ferraro; and 22 nieces and nephews. Rae was predeceased by her husband, Bill Seymour; sisters: Anna Ferraro, Petronella Guerrie, Rosie Heffernan, Marion Morabito and Theresa Sgro; brothers: Frank, Tony, Eugene, Thomas, and Joe-Joe Ferraro.