It is with great sadness that we let family and friends know that Barbara Ann Rafalko has passed from this world on November 6, 2019, just a few days shy of her 80th birthday. Daughter of the late Henry and Mary Balon, of Scranton, PA, sister to deceased brothers Thomas and Joseph Balon, and wife of the late John Rafalko, Barbara is survived by her nephew Thomas Balon and wife Sylvia of Toronto Ontario, her niece Debra Loriau and great nephew Alex Loriau of California, her sister-in-law Helene Balon of Endicott and lifelong best friend Carole Repecki, of Scranton, PA. and Milton Semanek of Vestal NY. Born in Scranton, PA, Barbara attended West Side High School and after marrying moved to Apalachin, NY where she resided for 45+ years. She loved to travel and was the first to say yes to an adventure. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Barbara faced all the bumps that life put in her way and always came out with a story to tell. She had the hands of an artist, the memory of an elephant, the will of a titan and the heart of an angel. She will be missed for her frankness and her unwavering love. Barbara spent her working years keeping an immaculate home and working temporary contracts with IBM Endicott and Owego. A striking woman, she favored Chanel perfume, Ferragamo heels, Pendleton skirts and could shop with the best of them. In her later years she was a full-time caregiver to her husband who became a paraplegic. Barbara epitomized what it meant to be a loving, considerate daughter, wife and sister but when it came to the relationship she shared with her nephew and niece she set a bar that none can duplicate. The memories we share of our life with Barbara are ours to treasure and carry in our hearts. From the waxing of Easter eggs, to hours spent wrapping presents for show worthy holidays, family get togethers that would put Martha to shame, emergency weekend shipments of homemade cookies to a college dorm and kielbasa on dry ice to a small town in California that desperately needs a Polish community. No act was ever too small. Always the storyteller in the family, we will be lost without her.
Funeral Services will be held Tuesday at 11 am from the Allen Memorial Home, 511-513 East Main Street, Endicott. The family will receive friends at the Allen Memorial Home Tuesday from 10 am until service time at 11 am. Burial will be in Saint Paul of the Cross Cemetery, Scranton, PA, Wednesday, 11 am. At her request, Barbara will be buried with her beloved kitty Izzy, in an adjoining plot next to her husband, parents and late nephew David Balon.