Nadia Richani Rafey

Nadia Richani Rafey, age 89, passed away on March 5, 2018. She is survived by her three loving children, Ban Rafey of Hopewell, Souhad Rafey of New York , and Omar Rafey (wife Valerie) of Hopewell; three grandchildren, Tajrid Ameen, Lena Rafey, and George Rafey; a sister, Souad Richani of Lebanon. Nadia was born in Choueifat, Lebanon and spent her first 21 years growing up near her family's olive groves overlooking the Mediterranean. She left her home upon marrying George in 1950 and lived the rest of her life in Virginia where she attended to her family with much love and was the best wife and mother anyone could hope for. She was admired by many for her beauty, grace, and kindness and kept a beautiful home in which she and George entertained frequently. Nadia was a gourmet cook and derived much pleasure from gardening and floral arranging. While a member of the Nathanial Cawsey Garden Club, she won many blue ribbons. Nadia taught French for a period of time at John Tyler Community College and was occasionally called to Fort Lee to assist in Arabic translation. She was an avid tennis player and loved brisk walking and staying fit. Even though she always looked like she stepped out of a fashion magazine, she loved to dig in the dirt and grow beautiful flowers and we marveled at how fearless she was of snakes and insects. A graveside memorial will be held at the Appomattox Cemetery in Hopewell on Monday, March 12th with a reception following. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to be made to Doctors without Borders by calling 212-679-6800 or going to the website doctorswithoutborders.org.