By: Charlotte Smith
Robert Gerard Raftery, of Elizabethtown, passed away on Monday, March 2, 2015. He is survived by his mother, Bonita Raftery of New York, and a son Anthony Raftery of New York; two brothers and one sister. Mr. Raftery taught English at East Bladen High School.
Raftery was a well-respected teacher in our community. We would like to share some of the comments and stories his colleagues and students have shared with us about Raftery’s legacy.
Summer Cain, a former student at East Bladen shared, “I will never forget Mr.Raftery’s smiling face and sense of humor. He would always grade our papers with his bright red pen and when he would finish, there would be no white space left. I often thought he was being too hard on me, but now that I am in college, I would like to credit most of my writing success to him and how hard he pushed me. To this day, I still remember the sentence structures he pushed us to learn and practice every week. I grew very close to Mr.Raftery during my senior English class. This man was dedicated to his students and wanted the best for them in life. He will be missed and has left a legacy at East Bladen High School. He may not realize how many lives that he touched, but one thing is for sure, he touched mine.”
Tiffany Nichols a teacher at East Bladen who worked with Mr. Raftery said,, “Wings up Mr. Raftery. We will miss you.” His former student, Shae Mckoy, shared, “His positive spirit helped to uplift and inspire me and many more.”
Brooke Smith a graduate of East Bladen recalls, “If there is one thing I will remember about Raft, it was his ability to laugh that specific laugh about something that everyone around him may or may not have known was even funny. It was one of those laughs that made you smile even if you didn’t know what he was laughing about.”
Some other students shared as well. Candra Freeman said, “Well respected teacher. He will be missed.” Chap Dennis says, ” No matter how sick or bad he felt he was always at work to make sure we learned what we needed to, which inspired me and opened my eyes.” Foster Brooks, shared, “Even though he was sick he would be at every football game supporting us and he would always have a smile on his face while watching us play.
Jana Mack said, “He is one to remember, one of the best English teachers who could prepare you for college and the long run in life.”
Former Student at East Bladen, April Yates, said, “No matter what his health or pain he was in, he was always smiling and super nice and sweet. He will be dearly missed.”
Our community is heart-broken at our loss, but we realize we have been blessed to have had the opportunity to have such a great talent among us to teach our children and our community. Mr. Raftery will always be remembered.
The family will receive friends on Friday, March 6, 2015 from 5:00 to 5:45 p.m. at Bladen-Gaskins Funeral Home. A service will follow in the Chapel at 6:00 p.m.
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