Death date: Apr 28, 2021
Lynnette Raffio, 66, passed away on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Lynnette was born in Rochester, New York. She grew up in upstate New York and New Jersey and attended the Katharine Gibbs school after graduating from Montville Townsh Read Obituary
Oh boy, where do I start with my best friend Lynnette.
Lynnette's faith is unwavering. She is my spiritual barometer. Being an Italian Jersey girl is difficult, but she always brought me back to being centered in Christ. Always generous and giving, always there for Sam and Isla at the drop of the hat. Always gave even when she was uncertain it was what was needed. I have been so truly blessed to have had her in my life for some 20 years here on Earth. She is the sister I never had by blood. Even though she is not here on Earth, she is still alive, alive in her glorified body and with Christ.
I look forward to seeing her when it's my time to be in Heaven.
Ann Pici
I am heartbroken to announce the loss of my mom.
My mom was absolutely perfect. Her ability to really and truly care for people completely was something so rare and a treasure to all who encountered her.
Looking through her phone, I can almost see life through her eyes. There are notes about just about everyone in town. Notes about neighbors and their anniversaries. Notes about bank tellers and shopkeepers and their upcoming surgeries or prayer requests. Notes about her family and friends and lists of blessings and things she was thankful for. There are also recipes, names of books she wanted to buy, notes from sermons she had heard, and notes she had left for me to find.
Mom was my person. My lifeline. My true north. My sounding board and my proofreader.
She was and is woven into every fiber of my being. It’s her voice I hear in my mind, always encouraging me to trust myself, to follow my intuition. A lifetime under her wings taught me to listen for the Holy Spirit and to seek his voice, too.
She was mine and I was hers. And now she’s gone and I’m shattered.
But I’ve seen something in the past couple of days: the power of people.
Mom believed in the power of people more than most. For example, she rejected self-checkouts. Yep. She would not use a self-checkout. Ever. Why? Because she believed in the power of human connection, even at the grocery store checkout, the bank teller window, and anywhere else people were helping people.
The people who have shown up for us these past couple of days are a beautiful reminder of what mom always hammered home. Machines will never be able to replace people. We need human connection. We can’t make it without our people.
To the people who have dropped notes, dropped food, picked up Isla, made calls, talked me down, booked flights, and overall just held me upright over the past couple of days... you have shown me mom’s love in so many ways, stepping into the space she left, moment by moment.
I will mourn her for the rest of my life. But I’ll also celebrate her, honor her, and try to be half the woman she was. Thank you to everyone who has shared about mom in notes, texts, and emails. Your memories of mom are keeping me afloat and helping bring me closer to mom’s spirit.
For a year I lived right next door to Sam. In that time I got to meet Lynette. She was truly a blessing to be around. It was just comfortable to be around her. You just showed up as yourself and she was always so loving. Offering kind words, advice, some hot tea, and her baked goodies. I see why Sam is such an amazing mom. Because she had Lynette as an example to follow.
