{"id":106357,"date":"2025-06-03T08:19:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T12:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=106357"},"modified":"2025-06-05T07:20:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T11:20:15","slug":"in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/","title":{"rendered":"In your honor, sir; The \u2018Voice of Owego\u2019 laid to rest"},"content":{"rendered":"

You can view video clips from the funeral at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/r\/1HFAnggJZ9\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can read more about Jim Raftis Sr. at \u2018News Never Sleeps\u2019 \u2013 Owego\u2019s Voice, a community steward and Korean War veteran, remembered<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

— By Wendy Post —<\/span><\/p>\n

Last week\u2019s services and funeral for Jim Raftis, Sr. of Owego were held leading up to Memorial Day on Monday; a ceremony that Raftis led for years. Months of planning for the annual ceremony were in Jim\u2019s wheelhouse, as he served in the military. According to all accounts, he was a keeper of records at his duty station during the Korean War, a task that created a blueprint for the decades of service he would provide to veterans back home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>

A wreath was placed by the coveted fire hydrant in front of Jim Raftis, Sr.\u2019s home in Owego. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

With his involvement in so many organizations, including Owego Little League, to which a field bears the Raftis name, his loss was felt across the county and even across the ocean. Erwin Flohr, who decorates the graves of Tioga County\u2019s fallen overseas, traveled to the United States with plans to meet Rafts, but he passed away on Mother\u2019s Day. Flohr traveled anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

As for this writer, Jim continued to put veterans at the forefront, news-wise. His record-keeping trickled over into the time he spent keeping track of those who served, those deployed, where the gravesites of the deceased are located, and ensuring that recognition of Tioga County\u2019s veterans remains strong. That we continue to honor, remember, and thank those who have served and continue to serve today.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>

Jim Raftis, Sr. is lowered into his final resting place at St. Patrick\u2019s Cemetery in Owego, next to his beloved Virginia. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

Jim would send multiple messages when dates of significance in the veteran community were approaching, such as Pearl Harbor Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Wreaths Across Tioga County in conjunction with the National Wreaths Across America effort, and recognizing ALL veterans.<\/span><\/p>\n

This writer\u2019s first attempt to handle Memorial Day for the first time in my 20-years as editor for The Owego Pennysaver was a bit of a challenge, but one that was handled, as many witnessed on Monday, in a fashion that Jim Raftis, Sr. would have been proud of.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>

George Carrigan, member of the VFW Honor Guard and Ritual Team, renders a final salute to Jim Raftis, Sr. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

Albeit a few hiccups in the coverage, without Jim\u2019s careful attention to detail, the message that we must teach, honor, and remember resounded. <\/span><\/p>\n

As we move forward with coverage for our veteran community, it will take time to pick up the pieces that Jim Raftis, Sr. left behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>

Danielle Ingram, a retired U.S. Air Force nurse and member of the Honor Guard, renders a final salute to Jim Raftis, Sr. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

But in the meantime, it was an absolute honor to capture the love and support shown to Jim Raftis, Sr. over the last couple of weeks, as everyone came together on Memorial Day, they knew that his legacy of caring for our veterans lives on.<\/span><\/p>\n

I will note that during last Saturday\u2019s graveside ceremony, the grave of Spc. Charles Bilbrey Jr. was nearby. SPC Charles E. Bilbrey, Jr., a Tioga County soldier, lost his life in 2007 while on a volunteer mission in Iraq. His mother, a Gold Star Mother, Barbara Bilbrey, stepped in to serve as this year\u2019s Master of Ceremonies for the 2025 Memorial Day ceremony.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>

Nearby is the grave of SPC Charles E. Bilbrey, Jr., a Tioga County soldier who lost his life in 2007 while on a volunteer mission in Iraq. His mother, Gold Star Mother Barbara Bilbrey, served as Master of Ceremonies for the Memorial Day ceremony in Tioga County this year in Jim\u2019s absence. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

On Jim\u2019s gravestone, his wife Virginia\u2019s name was already written on it as he now joins her.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the Courthouse Square, and as it was originally intended to say, Jim\u2019s \u201cvoice\u201d for decades honored the names etched upon the memorials that honor our fallen, those who gave their all in sacrifice to our country, and so our freedom remains free.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>

Steve Palinosky plays \u201cTaps\u201d at the conclusion of the ceremonial burial of Jim Raftis, Sr. at St. Patrick\u2019s Cemetery in Owego. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

RIP Jim Raftis, Sr., and as many would say, \u201cWell done. Well done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>

The flag that draped Jim Raftis, Sr.’s casket is folded and prepared for presentation to his family. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"In<\/a>

The flag that draped Jim Raftis, Sr.\u2019s casket is presented to the Raftis family. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"In<\/a>

Flags flew at half-staff at the Tioga County Veterans Memorial in Owego, and in honor of Jim Raftis, Sr. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"In<\/a>

Flags flew at half-staff at the Tioga County Veterans Memorial in Owego, and in honor of Jim Raftis, Sr. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You can view video clips from the funeral at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/r\/1HFAnggJZ9\/. You can read more about Jim Raftis Sr. at \u2018News Never Sleeps\u2019 \u2013 Owego\u2019s Voice, a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":106359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nIn your honor, sir; The \u2018Voice of Owego\u2019 laid to rest - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In your honor, sir; The \u2018Voice of Owego\u2019 laid to rest - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You can view video clips from the funeral at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/r\/1HFAnggJZ9\/. You can read more about Jim Raftis Sr. at \u2018News Never Sleeps\u2019 \u2013 Owego\u2019s Voice, a...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-03T12:19:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-05T11:20:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/06\/Honor2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/\",\"name\":\"In your honor, sir; The \u2018Voice of Owego\u2019 laid to rest - Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/06\/Honor2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-03T12:19:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-05T11:20:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/06\/Honor2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/06\/Honor2.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"The Honor Guard presents at the funeral for Jim Raftis, Sr. on May 24, 2025 at St. Patrick\u2019s Cemetery. (Photo by Wendy Post)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"In your honor, sir; The \u2018Voice of Owego\u2019 laid to rest\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/\",\"name\":\"Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\",\"name\":\"psadvert\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f42612cb07a4c4b7f1eb18ddb88bac4f8054cf2755aff2b1ac4f82d9e9ffd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f42612cb07a4c4b7f1eb18ddb88bac4f8054cf2755aff2b1ac4f82d9e9ffd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"psadvert\"},\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/author\/psadvert\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"In your honor, sir; The \u2018Voice of Owego\u2019 laid to rest - Owego Pennysaver Press","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"In your honor, sir; The \u2018Voice of Owego\u2019 laid to rest - Owego Pennysaver Press","og_description":"You can view video clips from the funeral at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/r\/1HFAnggJZ9\/. You can read more about Jim Raftis Sr. at \u2018News Never Sleeps\u2019 \u2013 Owego\u2019s Voice, a...","og_url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/","og_site_name":"Owego Pennysaver Press","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/","article_published_time":"2025-06-03T12:19:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-05T11:20:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/06\/Honor2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"psadvert","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"psadvert","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/","url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/","name":"In your honor, sir; The \u2018Voice of Owego\u2019 laid to rest - Owego Pennysaver Press","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/06\/Honor2.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-03T12:19:02+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-05T11:20:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/06\/Honor2.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2025\/06\/Honor2.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"caption":"The Honor Guard presents at the funeral for Jim Raftis, Sr. on May 24, 2025 at St. Patrick\u2019s Cemetery. (Photo by Wendy Post)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/06\/03\/in-your-honor-sir-the-voice-of-owego-laid-to-rest\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"In your honor, sir; The \u2018Voice of Owego\u2019 laid to rest"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website","url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/","name":"Owego Pennysaver Press","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492","name":"psadvert","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f42612cb07a4c4b7f1eb18ddb88bac4f8054cf2755aff2b1ac4f82d9e9ffd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f42612cb07a4c4b7f1eb18ddb88bac4f8054cf2755aff2b1ac4f82d9e9ffd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"psadvert"},"url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/author\/psadvert\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106357"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106371,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106357\/revisions\/106371"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}