Peyton Ruth Raftery

Ruth Raftery Peyton, daughter of the late Mary Elizabeth Champe and William Caulfield Raftery of Lexington, Virginia, died at home, after a brief illness, surrounded by friends and loved ones on September 13, 2016, in Charleston, West Virginia.She was born October 2, 1926, in Lexington, Virginia, at the Stonewall Jackson Hospital, formally the home of Stonewall Jackson. She was a graduate of Fairfax Hall Junior College and of Hollins College in 1947. She did graduate work in the French Language School at Middlebury College in Vermont. She taught French at Fairfax Hall until her marriage in 1952 to the late Angus E. Peyton, after which she moved to Charleston, West Virginia where she resided her remaining years.She served on several boards, but those which were most important to her were Kanawha Hospice Care and the Charleston Humane Association. She also enjoyed 15 years of giving planetarium shows at Sunrise Museum.For all her years in Charleston she was a member of Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral where she was privileged to be a Eucharist Minister for many years.She is survived by her sister, Dr. Evelyn Kragie of Vienna, Virginia; daughters, Morgan Peyton of Santa Barbara, California, and Lisa, and husband, Don Morin of Charlottesville, Virginia; her son, Angus MacDonald Peyton of Charleston; her grandsons, Peyton and William Morin; and her precious dog, Rhody.She was predeceased by her beloved daughter-in-law, Kathe Carman Peyton; her brothers, John Champe Raftery, William C. Raftery, Jr., and Thomas Madden Raftery; her dogs, Toodles, Taffy, Tigger, Tolley, Afton, and Nicholas; and her cats, Cabby, Topey, Ivan the Terrible, Kit Kat, Cabby, Luke, and Oliver.The family would like to give thanks to neighbors and dear friends who supported her until the very end. In addition, our heartfelt thanks to Sandy Martin, Donna Burns, Judy Strahler, Connie Anderson, Zenda Griffith, Dr. Reginald McClung, Dr. Julian Espiritu and Hospice.A reception to celebrate Ruth's life will be held at her South Hills home on Sunday, September 18, 2016, from 5until 8 p.m.Her body will be cremated. She will be buried on the afternoon of Monday, September 19, 2016, in Stonewall Jackson Cemetery, Lexington, Virginia with the interment conducted by the Reverend Tom Crittenden, Rector of R. E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church.In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions to Hospice Care, The Charleston Cancer Center, or the Kanawha Charleston Humane Association.On line condolences and memories of Ruth may be shared by visiting www.snodgrassfuneral.com and selecting her obituary. Snodgrass Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.