Ann Marie Henebry Rafford

Ann Marie Henebry Rafford of Middletown, CT passed away on December 18, 2015 after a long battle with cancer. Ann was born March 18, 1956 at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in North Kingstown RI to the late Philip F. Henebry Jr. and Lucille Proulx Henebry. She graduated from Valley Regional High school in Deep River, CT and from Case Western University in Cleveland, OH. Ann worked for IBM for 33 years as a project manager among other positions before her retirement in 2010.

Ann was a Pisces. She loved the water and fell in love w/ sailing as a teenager when the owner of the Essex Junction Theater took her sailing for the first time. She promised herself from that day she would own a sailboat. Over the years she worked her way up from her first 22' sailboat to the current 40 footer; acquiring her 50 ton Captains license along the way. She also became an instructor for Womanship; an organization dedicated to teaching women to sail.

She was a member of Duck Island Yacht Club in Westbrook for many years racing and cruising and there she met her husband. She and her husband Jim retired from racing 10 years ago to focus on cruising with future plans to spend the winters in the Caribbean on their boat. Ann loved the job as navigator. She spent countless hours checking charts and tides to plan a trip. She looked forward to being anchored somewhere remote every weekend from June to October to stay up at night to listen to nature and to look at the stars. She continued to sail thru her illness up to this past October when the cancer took her strength. The oceans will miss her.

Ann is survived by her loving husband James R. Rafford of Middletown as well as her siblings Celeste Proulx of Cromwell, CT, Philip F. Henebry III of Santa Rosa Beach, FL and Mark D. Henebry and his wife Leslie of Essex, CT.

Calling hours will be held at 9-11 am with the Service beginning at 11am on Sat Jan 2 at the Swan Funeral Home 1224 Boston Post Rd Old Saybrook, CT.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions in Ann’s memory can be made to Mystic Seaport Museum Inc, Mystic CT.