Rita Pauline Rafanello

Rita Pauline Rafanello (née Grabowski), 97, passed away peacefully at her home in Boca Raton, Florida, on May 24, 2026, surrounded by her family. Born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, on April 13, 1929, Rita’s long life was defined above all by her devotion to her family, which was her greatest joy.

As a young woman, Rita moved from Shamokin to Elizabeth, New Jersey, and then to Newark, where she met and married the love of her life, Ben. Together they settled in Millburn, New Jersey, where they raised their three children. After her own children were grown, Rita continued to share her gift for caring for children, serving as a beloved “Nanny” to several local families in the Millburn area, looking after their children as if they were her own. When her family’s needs called her elsewhere, Rita answered. She moved to Florida to help raise her grandsons, Nicholas and Michael, and later to Norristown, Pennsylvania, to live with her son John and help raise her granddaughters, Alexandria, Amanda, and Angelina. Once her grandchildren were grown, she returned to Florida, where she lived until her passing. In those years, Rita delighted in spending time with her daughter, Concetta, sharing lunches and adventures with Concetta, her sister Rosemary, and her dear friend Gloria.

Through every move and every season of her life, Rita gave herself wholly to the people she loved. She was a daughter, a sister, a mother, an aunt, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother, and she found her deepest happiness in caring for them.

Rita was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ben, in 2014; her son, Glenn, and later, his wife, Pamela Rafanello; her parents, Pauline and John Grabowski; her brother, Jack Grabowski; and her sister, Rosemary Domingo.

She is survived by her son, John, and his wife, Annmarie; her daughter, Concetta “Tina”; her grandchildren, Nicholas, Michael, Alexandria (and her husband, Chris Short), Amanda, and Angelina; her great-grandson, Lucas Short, son of Alexandria and Chris; and her godson and nephew, Raymond, son of her sister Rosemary, as well as many additional nieces and nephews.

Rita will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery, alongside her beloved husband, Ben, a veteran of World War II, on a date to be determined. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.