Raftell, Zephra (Spileos) of Dover, MA, passed away on March 30, 2016. Beloved wife of the late William J. Raftell. Loving Sister of Helen S. Cole, and the late William L. Spileos. Loving Aunt of Diane Cole Laine, William A. Cole, Andrea Cole, Anne Tritcak, Dorothy Henriksen and Andrew Spileos. Cherished Godmother of Heidi Laine Kozlauska and her husband John, and Catherine Galati and her husband John. Loving Sister-in-law of Katherine Spileos. Also survived by many grandnieces, grandnephews, relatives and friends.
She was the daughter of Limperios (Louis) Spileos and Anna Saizes. Zephra was born in Boston at home during a snow storm 10 minutes apart from her “older” twin sister Helen and was, thus, “the babyShe and her twin were christened immediately because they were not expected to survive, but she remained feisty and defied the odds, living a long and healthy life, until the very end.
She was a graduate of Girls’ High School in Boston, the Hickox Secretarial School and Boston University’s Practical Arts and Letters program. For many years after, she worked as a bookkeeper and secretary for the Brick Layers Pension Fund in Boston.
Zephra was married to Bill for many years, but was, also, inseparable from her sister and her sister’s family for her entire life. She loved her family deeply and unconditionally. She was genuinely interested in other people and their well being; she was kind and made charitable donations to many different causes. She liked to travel, be social and go dining out to nice places and to have a good time.
Zephra was impeccably neat and fastidious at work and in maintaining her home. She liked to read and was particularly interested in homeopathy, vitamins, and wellness. Admired by many for her elegant fashion taste, she was always upbeat, could be very funny, making us laugh and brought a smile to everyone’s face.Zephra was often asked about the origin of her name. She would explain that she was named after one of her grandmothers, and that Zephra was an ancient Greek name. She would proudly comment that she was, “the one and only Zephra”.
Funeral on Wed., April 6, 2016 from the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St. (Rt.16), Wellesley at 9:15AM followed by Services in the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 514 Parker St., Boston, MA at 11AM. Visiting hours on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 from 4 PM to 8 PM at the funeral home. Relatives and friends kindly invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the above named church. Burial in Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston, MA.