RAFFAEL DE GRUTTOLA

DE GRUTTOLA, Raffael Age 88, of Natick, passed away on November 22, 2023, surrounded by family. He was born in Cambridge to Italian-born parents. He enlisted in the Army after a successful high school career, where he was President of his class. Once in the Army, Raffael became the Asst. Principal Clarinetist for the 18th Army Band out of NYC. He went on to attain a BA in Philosophy and American Literature from Boston University and a M. Ed in Educational Administration from Northeastern University. Raffael started his educational career as a teacher for the Michaelangelo School in Boston. He went on to hold positions including the Dir. of the Language Assessment Ctr., the Asst. Dir. of the Barron Assessment & Counseling Ctr. and most notable, the Director of Bilingual Education for the Boston Public Schools. Raffael was an avid writer and poet and after retiring from BPS, he devoted his time to the Japanese poetic forms; Haiku, Haiga and Renku. He was a founding member of the Boston Haiku Society and the President of the Haiku Society of America. Raffael is survived by his wife of 61 years, Michelina De Gruttola; his daughters, Beatrice, Raffaella and Anastasia; as well as his grandchildren, Xochitl, Amalia, Sofia and Jared. A gathering for family and friends will be held in his honor on Saturday, December 16, 2023, from 4pm to 8pm, at John C. Bryant Funeral Home, 56 Pemberton Road, WAYLAND. In lieu of flowers, please make donations, in his name, to Special Olympics Massachusetts, 512 Forest Street, Marlborough, MA 01752. www.specialolympicsma.org and/or The Carroll Center For The Blind, 770 Centre Street, Newton, MA 02458. Https://carroll.org/donate For condolences, a complete obituary and directions, please visit www.johncbryantfuneralhome.com