Stephanie Elizabeth Raign

Stephanie Elizabeth Raign of Plano, Texas, age 81, was born on August 30, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and passed away on Thursday, March 21, 2019 at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Plano. Her death was sudden and peaceful with her husband of 60 years, Lt Colonel Phillip ‘Phil” Raign, USAF (Ret), daughter Resa Raign and daughter-in-law Kathy Raign by her side. She had previously survived two bouts of lung cancer and was struggling with Alzheimers; however, she was conscious and knew of her family’s presence to the end. She was preceded in death by her parents David and Elizabeth Medoff and her only brother Donald Medoff of Tucson, Arizona.

Steff or Steffie as she was known by most, attended the all-girls Academy of Notre Dame de Namur, Villanova, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1956 with her class of 30. While at Notre Dame, she was involved in many activities and was an aggressive player on the varsity field hockey team. One such activity involved pursuing research after hours and weekends, with 14 Notre Dame girls at the Moylan School. They were investigating the actions of different chemicals on blood cells while monitoring test eggs. Of the 14 girls, five, including Stephanie, went into nursing. Upon graduation from Notre Dame, she attended the Wilmington General Hospital School of Nursing, Wilmington, Delaware. The required four years of Latin at Notre Dame served her well in the field of medicine.

She met her husband, who was a cadet at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, while she was attending nursing school. They were a fun loving couple and enjoyed living life to the fullest. Upon Phil’s graduation and commission into the Air Force, they were married on July 16, 1958. She joined him in Bartow, Florida where he was undergoing pilot training. This was the beginning of her journey and life as a devoted Air Force Officer’s wife that required making many temporary and permanent moves from base to base in the U.S. and in England.

She and Phil began their family when she gave birth to their son Michael at Luke AFB, Arizona, in March 1960. When Michael was six months old, he and Steffie joined Phil in England where he was serving a three year tour of duty. During those three years, the family grew from three to six with the addition of two more sons, Gerald and Donald, and a daughter Theresa. With the help of English nannies, Steff endured the hardships of living in a foreign country and, at times, having sole responsibility for raising the children. Upon return to the states and after multiple assignments, she took on a greater role with her husband, an Instructor Pilot Training Officer, while raising her four growing children. In this new role of mentoring the young wives of 2 ^nd Lieutenants undergoing pilot training, she used her experiences to help them adjust to the Air Force way of life, and learn what to expect as they moved from base to base. With her meticulous writing skills, she developed an Officer’s Wives’ Guide on protocol and etiquette.

Steffie was a woman of many talents. Her love of arts and crafts began at an early age, and at the age of 14 she attended the Philadelphia College of Art, taking the trolley and el downtown from Drexel Hill, PA. Her artistic talents kicked in full force in the 1970s with the creation of many unique pieces of art and crafts in a variety of media. Having four children, sometimes referred to as the “Raigndrops”, she liked to sign her pieces of art with her nickname Steffie and a symbol of a raindrop. She loved to sew and made clothes for the children and herself. She was so skilled and precise that she would do calligraphy for the Officer Wives Club mailings and wedding announcements. While living in Maryland, she taught at the Montessori School and taught art at the children’s elementary school.

In addition to travelling the U.S. and England, Steff travelled extensively throughout Europe in the early 1960s and later years. Her passion for art and the masters was fulfilled with visits to major art museums, highlighted by the Prado in Madrid, Spain. She also travelled to Thailand and China. Thailand was special because she and Phil attended his Class Reunion in Bangkok in 1992 - the same country he flew out of in 1967 during the Vietnam War. At that time, Stephanie stayed in Chandler, AZ with her four children comforted by the close knit support of other wives and community.

Upon moving to Lubbock, Texas in 1975, and with the children now in high school and college, Steffie began full time nursing. She nursed in practically every specialty you can think of, ER, ICU, pediatrics, and dialysis, and was instrumental in helping set up some of the departments in the new Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and Lubbock General Hospital. With her last major move to her current home in Plano, Texas she continued nursing at several locations and areas of care, including HCA Medical Center of Plano, Cigna Home Health Care and Charter Psychiatric Hospital.

Steff was strong willed and knew what she wanted, and was always caring for and looking out for her children, family and others. She was always upbeat and carefree, and confident. She was full of silliness and always fun to be around, and with her sharp wit loved storytelling. Now it is our time for telling stories about our Stephanie.

Stephanie is survived by her four children; Michael Raign, Jerry Raign (Kathy), Donald Raign and Resa Raign, and her five grandchildren; Erin Raign, Kelsie Raign, Riley Herlihy, Maxwell Raign and Chance Heath.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Stephanie’s memory to:

Send donation check with memo: Guests' Assistance Fund

6506 W. Park Blvd. #116, Plano, Texas 75093

or to her alma mater at:

https://www.ndapa.org/page.cfm?p=1252

The Academy of Notre Dame de Namur

560 Sproul Rd., Villanova, PA 19085

On Monday, April 1, 2019, there will be a 10:00 am viewing followed by an 11:00 am Memorial Mass at St Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 2700 W, Spring Creek Pkwy, Plano. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall.

Burial will be at the West Point Cemetery, NY on Friday, April 26, 2019, beginning with a 1:30 pm Funeral Service in the West Point Most Holy Trinity Catholic Chapel.