Howard Ernest Raffety passed away on Sunday, November 14, 2021, at the age of 80, at home in Grinnell, Iowa, surrounded by his loving family. His battle with pancreatic cancer lasted only a few weeks, but he showed great courage, and stayed strong until the end. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, November 20, 2021, at the Calvary Baptist Church in Grinnell. Howard's service will be live streamed on the Calvary Baptist Church Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/cbcgrinnell. A reception will follow the service in the fellowship hall of the church. Interment will be at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm on Friday at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell and his family will receive friends from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm. Memorials may be designated to the Howard Raffety Memorial Fund to benefit local education scholarships and may be mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Condolences may be shared with his family online at www.smithfh.com. On January 10, 1941, Howard was born a farmer, lived farming his entire life, and farmed until the end, operating the combine to harvest corn and beans until the cancer diagnosis this fall. He completed 60 harvests as a full-time farmer – he never wanted to do anything else. After graduating from Grinnell High School in 1958, he enrolled at Iowa State University, joining the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and becoming a passionate Cyclones fan. Thanks to alphabetical seating in English 101, he met Ann "Suzy" Rasmussen. After Howard earned a bachelor's degree in Agriculture Engineering, they were married on August 4, 1962 (after the crops were planted, of course), and they honeymooned through the American Northwest, including seeing a drag show in San Francisco. They settled back on the family farm in Grinnell to continue farming corn, beans, cattle, and hogs with his father, LaVerne. Michael was born in July the next year, interrupting the oat harvest, and Megan in January a few years later, interrupting the bookwork. In 2001, Howard and Suzy were presented with the State of Iowa's "Century Farm" award. In later years they enjoyed trips to Hawaii, Alaska, and a cruise through the Panama Canal, but he was always glad to return to the farm and the "back 40." He was a member of several community organizations, including Jaycees, Rotary, and Fortnightly, as well as the Grinnell First Baptist Church, serving as treasurer for many years. He always enjoyed presenting the Praestantia award to the class valedictorian at the Grinnell High School graduation, which was originated by his father's high school class. Howard was preceded in death by his parents, LaVerne and Iness (Straight) Raffety; brother, Maynard (Eloise) Raffety and sister, Carolyn (Clayton) Knutson. He is survived by two brothers, Seymour (Carmen) Raffety and Donald (Faye) Raffety; his wife, Suzy; his son, Michael (Dan Tran) Raffety; his daughter, Megan (Lance) Veldboom; his four much-loved granddaughters, Elizabeth (Nathan) Brace, Emmaleah (Tanner) Beam, Naomi Veldboom, and Rebekah Veldboom, and two great grandchildren, Isaac and Eliza Joy Brace; his cousin, Stan (Gail) Greenwald; and numerous nieces and nephews, whom he genuinely cared about.