Date of death: 10/12/2016
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1953
Father Godfrey Raffel, (89) passed away peacefully on October 12, 2016 in Bakersfield. He was born in Austria and came to this country at the age of 10. At the age of 13, he entered the seminary, and was ordained in 1953. His early priesthood years were spent in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Africa. In 1963, he moved to California and his first duties were in Sanger, California where he still had many close friends. He later moved to Tehachapi, where he served as the priest of Tehachapi prison. Upon retirement, he enjoyed traveling, and visited many parts of the world. One of his favorite topics of debate was politics (which he seldom lost). Godfrey is survived by a sister, Margaret Eskildsen of Detroit, Michigan and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.