Helen Leeser Raphael

1933 - 2017

Helen Leeser Raphael

Helen Etta Leeser Raphael was born on March 5, 1933 in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, the last of four children born to Rose Goodman and Oscar Leeser. She completed high school at Radford School and briefly attended the University of Arizona before returning home to care for her ailing mother. She was married to Benjamin K. Raphael from 1952 - 1982, and bore three children, Linda Raphael Phillips, Michael Philip Raphael (deceased) and Richard Bruce Raphael. Returning to El Paso in 1980, Helen worked as an accountant for a number of different firms with her last paid position before retirement being with the United Way of El Paso. She was involved in community service work which included Score and La Casa. Following retirement from the United Way in 1999, Helen and her long time life partner, Rex Douglass, moved to Las Cruces where they lived until recently returning to El Paso.

The family would like to thank the staffs at Las Palmas Hospital and Global Hospice for exceptional compassionate care received in the last few weeks of life. Helen is survived by her life partner Rex Douglass, her daughter Linda and her husband Robert Phillips, her son Richard Raphael and her three granddaughters, Kara Elsa Patterson, Melissa Quaife Phillips and Brianne Rose Raphael, her brother Arthur Leeser, his wife Roberta and her numerous nephews and nieces.

The family invites friends and family to a Celebration of Life at Montevista, 1575 Belvidere Street, El Paso, Texas at 2:30PM on Sunday, June 4. Please in lieu of flowers, send donations to the Alzheimer's Association or the Hospice Foundation of America.