Raelene Kay Cavanaugh went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on July 25th 2026.
Raelene was born on October 26, 1950, in Ellwood City, PA. She was the fifth of six children, all daughters, born to Rudolph Arthur Nye and Caroline Rose Nye.
Raelene grew up in Tucson, AZ from the time she was two years old and lived there until adulthood, when she relocated to San Diego, CA. It was there that she met her husband of 55 1/2 years, Donal Leroy Cavanaugh. Don was in the Navy and they got engaged at the pier in San Diego harbor when he returned from a deployment to Vietnam. They were engaged one month before marrying in Tucson on January 9th, 1971. Raelene and Don welcomed Kelly Rosemarie Cavanaugh on July 29th, 1985, in San Diego. Raelene cherished her role as a wife and mother and was a stay at home Mom for the next 10 years. She never missed a single school event or performance of Kelly’s throughout all her school years. Though Raelene and Don had planned to stay in San Diego forever, life had other plans, and a job transfer relocated the family to Rock Hill, SC in July of 1991. When Kelly was in middle school, Raelene began substitute teaching regularly, and a few years later accepted a full time position as a Kindergarten assistant teacher.
Raelene became a grandmother on Thanksgiving Day in 2011, when Michael Paul Lessard III was born. Nothing made her happier than being a Mom and “GG,” and to her delight, her grandson shared her interest in creating art. Raelene retired from the school district when her grandson turned one, but she never retired from being a wife, Mom and GG, and her family’s biggest supporter.
Raelene was known for her creativity and her many talents, namely crafts, cooking, sewing, and woodworking. Many fondly remember her banana bread and apple cake, and her hand painted Santa gourds and handmade snowman light bulb Christmas ornaments. Family and friends remember her always lending a helping hand, never tiring of serving, and always going above and beyond the standard.
Raelene lived life to the fullest and enjoyed traveling with her family. Raelene and Don began cruising in 2003, and completed a total of 53 cruises, most of them on Royal Caribbean cruise line. Their last cruise was in October 2025, to celebrate Raelene’s 75th birthday. Raelene will be remembered as an extraordinary woman who loved fiercely and extravagantly all the days of her life, until Jesus called her home to spend eternity with Him.
Family members who went to heaven before Raelene include her parents, Rudolph and Caroline Nye, her sisters, Ruby Parker and Donna Varney, her brother-in-law, Phil Colombo, and her niece, Holly Lynn Cavanaugh.
Raelene is survived by her husband, Don Cavanaugh, her daughter, Kelly Cavanaugh, and her grandson, Michael Lessard III, all of Rock Hill, and her stepson, Jared R. Cavanaugh, and her step grandson, Jared R. Cavanaugh, Jr., both of Spring Valley, CA. She is also survived by three sisters, Alice Colombo, of Sierra Vista, AZ, Dorothy (Roger) Sprik, of Rock Hill, and Pam (Chuck) Bowman, of Elgin, AZ, as well as three generations of nieces and nephews.
Raelene’s family would like to thank the staff of the Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House of Rock Hill for their kindness and compassionate care in walking her home to Heaven. They also want to thank their family and friends for the love and support shown to them in their loss of their wife, mother, and grandmother.