Sheila Irene Raff

Sheila was born in New Jersey to Bob and Phyllis Droney. She spent her childhood in Ramsey, New Jersey, and Williamsburg, Virginia, and later earned a degree in nursing from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1975, she married James Raff, and in their wedding bands they had engraved what they considered the foundation of their successful marriage, John 15:12. Soon, they started a family and would have six daughters in ten years. She called her daughters her “jewels” and delighted in being a wife, mother, and homemaker.

In 1991, Sheila and James moved their family to Greenville, SC, and have lived there since. For years, she was a member of Fair Heights Baptist Church and in the recent past attended North Hills Community Church.

Sheila reveled in being “Lolly” to her nine grandchildren. She had a rare ability to enter each child’s world, and she effortlessly engaged in playing, pretending, reading, and talking with them. She enjoyed corresponding with friends and relatives near and far and loved mailing thoughtful packages and letters to people she cared about. She had a talent for finding and creating beauty in unexpected places and took time to marvel at the wonders of creation. She loved listening to music, having tea parties, swimming in the ocean, getting together with her many dear friends, going on trips with James, and beautifully arranging flowers. She spent her life pursuing what really matters: relationships with people and with God, and her faith in Him sustained her, even through times of intense personal loss and suffering. She was constantly encouraging others with Bible verses and hymns and pointing them to the love and life she had found in Christ.

We will miss her voice, her handwritten notes, the way she stroked our backs during prayer, her mischievous sense of humor, her brilliant smile and unmistakable laugh, her tea parties, and her countless thoughtful gestures of love to us over her lifetime.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” -John 15:12

Sheila is survived by her husband, James Raff, of Greenville; daughter and son-in-law Anna and Jason Mayberry of Powdersville; daughter Jennie Raff of Washington, DC; daughter and son-in- law Jessica and Joel Koontz of Greenville; daughter Cate Raff of Santa Fe, NM; daughter and son-in-law Leah Raff and Javier Perez of Alexandria, VA; daughter Alice Raff of San Luis Obispo, CA; sister and brother-in-law, Tricia Droney and Doug Johnson of Hudson, MA; brother and sister-in-law John Droney and Colleen Lucas of Weston, MA; brother and sister-in-law Bob and Colleen Droney of Floyd, VA; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Leila and Bill Boyer of Dunkirk, MD; aunt Joyce Granfors of Garfield Heights, OH; uncle and aunt Pat and Bonnie McNulty of Jacksonville, FL; uncle Ed McNulty of Parma, OH; step-son and daughter-in-law Tom and Jen Raff of Leola, PA; step-son Robert Raff of St. Petersburg, FL; nieces Marley Oakes, Sarah Oakes, Kayla Droney, Irene Droney; grandchildren Jeremy (Elizabeth) Raff, Susannah Raff, Olivia Raff, Natalie Raff, Henry Mayberry, Claire Koontz, Emmett Koontz, James Mayberry, and Delia Koontz; and great-grandson, Owen Raff.

Due to COVID-19 guidelines limiting large gatherings, the family will hold a private burial, and a memorial service will be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to an organization Sheila cared about: Food for the Hungry (fh.org) or Heifer International (www.heifer.org).