Visitation: No prior visitation.
Service: A Memorial
Service will take place at a date and time to be announced by the family. RAFFERTY – Margaret M.
(nee Farrell)
January 2, 2020. Age 70, of Cheektowaga, NY and South Kingstown, RI, and was
born in Providence, RI, growing up in
Warwick, RI. She was the youngest
child of the late Joseph F. Farrell and
Gertrude C. (McGrane) Farrell, and
sister of the late Kathryn T. (Farrell)
Shields. She is survived by her sister
Frances (Farrell) Bergeron, of Warwick,
RI, her niece Michaela (Shields) Swarz,
her cousin, nieces and nephews,
Patricia (Lovely) Rosbottom, Maureen
(Lovely) McInerney, Colleen (Lovely)
Mason, Dennis Lovely, and Michael
Lovely, as well as other cousins and
family. A visitation and Mass of Christian
Burial will take place in Warwick, RI. A
local Memorial
Service will take place
at a date and time to be announced
by the family. In lieu of flowers, the
family requests donations in Margaret’s
memory be made to the American Heart
Association, Eastern States Processing
Center, P.O. Box 417005, Boston, MA
02241 or the Buffalo and Erie County
Public Library, 1 Lafayette Sq., Buffalo,
NY 14203. Arrangements by THE
DIETRICH FUNERAL HOME, INC.
Online condolences may be shared at
www.TheDietrichFuneralHome.com Margaret Mary (Farrell) Rafferty, 70, of Cheektowaga, NY, and South Kingstown, RI, was born in Providence, RI, and grew up in Warwick, RI. She was the youngest child of the late Joseph F. Farrell and Gertrude C. (McGrane) Farrell, and the sister of the late Kathryn T. (Farrell) Shields. She is survived by her sister, Frances (Farrell) Bergeron, of Warwick, RI, her niece Michaela (Shields) Swarz, her cousin-nieces and nephews Patricia (Lovely) Rosbottom, Maureen (Lovely) McInerney, Colleen (Lovely) Mason, Dennis Lovely, and Michael Lovely, and other cousins and family.

Margaret attended Cleary School in St. Joseph’s Parish, Providence, and St. Patrick’s High School, Providence. After graduation, she entered the novitiate of the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She left the convent, returned to Warwick, and worked at the Greenwood Credit Union while taking courses at Rhode Island College (RIC). After marriage to James Rafferty she moved to various places including Washington, DC, Bridgeport, CT, and Hayward, WI, before settling in Buffalo, NY.

Margaret worked at various places including The Buffalo History Museum while finishing her BA at Buffalo State College, then earning her law degree at the State University of New York (SUNY), Buffalo. She then worked as a Community Planning and Development Rep at the Buffalo office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for almost 40 years, retiring in 2016.

She loved many quotes, but her favorite was from Socrates: "The unexamined life is not worth living." She thought deeply about her life, and lived it as fully as possible.

Margaret loved reading, music, history, lively discussions about current events, and spending time with family and friends. She loved swimming in the ocean and sitting on the beach. And the Buffalo Bills. She cherished her friends and co-workers in Buffalo and was deeply grateful for their presence in her life.

Margaret Mary will be deeply missed by all her family and friends, and the memory of her love and generosity will be a blessing on us forever.