M. Vlora Rafter

M. Vlora Rafter Cook, MN M. Vlora Rafter, 93, of Cook, Minnesota, formerly of Battle Creek, Michigan, passed away on Sunday, March 8, 2009. at the Cook Hospital. Services: A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, March 14, 2009, at the Memorial Park Cemetery Chapel, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Pastor Ed Erskin will be the officiant. Arrangements are with the Mlaker Funeral Home in Cook, MN. and Farley-Estes-Dowdle Funeral Home. Any emails of memories or condolences sent to mlaker@accessmn.com, will be forwarded to her son. She was born at Mooresburg, Tennessee on December 7, 1915, She moved to Battle Creek, Michigan in 1933 with her parents, graduating from Battle Creek Central High School in 1935. Vlora was united in marriage on April 17, 1941, to F. Duane Rafter, at Battle Creek. They were members of the Central Christian Church, and helped to establish the Newtown Church of Christ. They moved to Bartlett, Illinois in 1968, and retired to Orlando, Florida in 1970. She was a member of the Lakeview Christian Church in Orlando and belonged to the Central Florida Violet Society. Vlora had enjoyed reading, card making and ceramics. She had lived back in Illinois for a time, then in 2007 moved to Cook, Minnesota, to be near her son and family. She was blessed with a strong Christian faith and took peace and comfort in reading the Bible. She is survived by one son, Ronald (Karen) Rafter of Lake Vermilion-Cook; 1 sister, Julia Wheeler of Orlando, Fl., 4 grandchildren; and 2 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, F. Duane Rafter on March 20, 2002; and 1 sister, Mildred Lammers.