Obituaries

Marilyn Helen Rafferty

May 6, 1922- September 6, 2013

For our mother, Marilyn, loving her family was one of the greatest joys in her life. She was passionate about getting her flock together as much as possible and took immense pride and joy in cooking and baking and entertaining us all. Her favorite was always a surprise — a custom-decorated cake for our annual family birthday get together that celebrated several of us all at once each summer. We never knew what we were in for, whether it was carrot cake, fresh zucchini cake straight from the garden, or her secret extra rich double chocolate special.

Marilyn was the daughter of Judge William A. Freeman and Helen T. Judson and was born in Hollywood, California. Marilyn made her home in Santa Paula when her family moved onto a large cattle ranch in upper Aliso Canyon in 1930. She attended Briggs Elementary School, Isbell Middle School, Santa Paula High School and Ventura College. During high school, she would often ride her horse down the canyon to meet up with her best friend Tansy Smith so the 2 of them — cute ranch girls by all accounts — could drive Tansy’s car on to high school. Oh the stories they would later tell! But Marilyn fell for her one and only sweetheart and she eventually married Joseph A. Rafferty, a third generation Santa Paulan and together they shared a loving marriage of 59 years before he passed in 2001.

Over the years they lived in Homestead, Florida during WWII where Joe was in the Army Air Corps as a flight instructor. Later they lived in Coral Gables, Florida and Joe worked for the Civil Aeronautics Authority. During that time while they were raising their 2 sons, Joey and Gary, Marilyn was also a part-time professional model. In 1953 family duty called and they packed it all up and drove cross-country back to Santa Paula where Joe began operating the family citrus ranch that his grandfather had originally settled. In 1958 their daughter Lori was born and Marilyn proudly continued to participate with a variety of community service organizations throughout Ventura County, including 4-H, Mupu School PTA, Santa Paula High School PTA, Santa Paula Memorial Hospital Pink Ladies, Hospice, California Oil Museum, and the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Paula.

Marilyn (and Joe) made many long-term, dear friends in Santa Paula. Outdoor adventures were popular by exploring the Sespe backcountry and desert areas via 4-wheel drive vehicles with the Axell, Homer and Ricards’ families, to name but a few. More traveling and flying adventures were also shared with the Deweys and Ragners and so many, many others. Of particular gratitude worth noting is how out of common WWII bonds and local ranching friendships, all of these wonderful relationships formed a special little community amongst those families, showing all of their future generations the importance of going out into the world and making their own communities, whether in Santa Paula or beyond. Thank you Mom and Dad and everyone else, we know you cherished every moment of it and you truly were part of the “Greatest Generation.”

Marilyn is survived and will be greatly missed by her sons, Joseph Rafferty and Gary Rafferty (Cindy) and her daughter Lori Rafferty Wathne (Kail); grandchildren including Joseph (Corinne) and Kelsey (Aaron), and Reese and Curtis; and great grandchildren Addie, Emma, Riley, Skye and River, with Kelsey about to deliver the sixth great-grandchild.

Services will be held celebrating Marilyn’s life on Saturday, September 14 at 11:00 am at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Paula, located at 116 Davis Street, Santa Paula, CA. Donations in Marilyn’s memory may be made to Tri-County GLAD (an organization serving the deaf and hard of hearing community) at 702 County Square Drive, Ventura, CA 93003.