Avis de décès : M. Raymond "Ray" Sarafin (1931-02-07 - 2017-09-06)
Raymond "Ray" G. Sarafin, 86, of Goshen passed away on his own terms at his home on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017.
He was born in Northampton on February 7, 1931 to Joseph and Amelia (Powrichowska) Sarafin. He attended school in Westhampton and learned the carpentry trade at Smith Vocational High School. He was employed by Hallet contractors until he entered the United States Army in 1952 during the Korean Conflict. After his discharge from the Army in 1954, he started his own construction company, Raymond Sarafin Builders, which he operated until his retirement in 1993. He was also a 50 year member of the Westhampton Congregational Church.
He was a family man who truly loved his family. He worked side by side with several of his brothers and his son for years. He enjoyed trips to the racetrack, vacations in Florida, Las Vegas and Maine and one especially memorable trip to Hawaii with several brothers and sisters. He and his immediate family put on Fourth of July picnics for years as a way to keep generations of family connected. He loved his children and grandchildren and took pride in their accomplishments - academic, in the trades, in sports and in motorsports. Nothing made him happier than watching truck pulls. He went to all the truck pulls he could, and watched the ones he missed on video, then critiqued each run.
He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Phyllis E. (Brosseau) Levine Sarafin, his son Mark and wife Dawn, his daughter Christine Strong and husband Stephen; and his four adored grandsons Michael Sarafin, Matthew Sarafin, Brendan Strong and Connor Strong. He also leaves his sister Mary Heath of Huntington. Ray was predeceased by his brothers Stanley, Chester, Edward I, Edward II, William, Henry, Joseph, Theodore, John, and Walter, and his sisters Amelia, Constance, Wanda and Sophia. He was also predeceased by his first wife, M. Jean (St. Amand) Sarafin.
The funeral services will be private.
At the request of the family, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to VNA Hospice 168 Industrial Drive Northampton, MA 01060 or Highland Ambulance 12 Williams Drive P.O. Box 842 Goshen, MA 01032. To sign a Guest Book, express condolences, share memories and read other obituaries, go to legacy.com/obituaries/gazettenet.
Funeral Home : Ahearn Funeral Home, 783 Bridge Road, Northampton, MA 01060. (413) 587-0044.
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