Raffaella Ingrid Leggiadro

It is with profound sorrow and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Raffy on April 4th, 2026, in Vancouver, Canada. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, on October 21, 1961. Daughter to late Gerd Lindqvist and late Pietro Leggiadro. Sister to Rosemary, Franco (Yolanda), Cynthia, Elena (Walter), aunt to Sydney, Gabrielle, Adrian, Andrea, Luca and Rochelle and great auntie to Genevieve, Lorenzo, Reid and Mason. Raffy was also the human mother to her most beloved cat Oscar.

Raffy spent her formative years in Afghanistan with a few years in Ghana and Nigeria. Kabul was not only home for Raffy while she was young, but it was also where her heart belonged all her life even when she had long left the country. Like an Afghan child she felt comfortable in the bazars and with dogs, donkeys and horses that easily roamed streets. As a small child she even managed to bargain for a donkey and bring him home. At the age of 12 Raffy moved with her family to Rome, Italy and then to Florence, where she lived for the next 23 years. She finished High School at the Overseas School of Rome and then obtained an associate degree from the American University of Rome. In Florence she worked with her father and brother in the family-owned business, Geografica, where she learned the family trade of map making. In 1996 Raffy moved to Columbus, Ohio, USA and worked for GEO ONE, also a map making company. She stayed in Columbus until 2011, at which time she moved to Canada. In Canada she lived for some time in Ottawa and in Halifax and in 2016 moved to Vancouver, B.C where she worked for McElhanney Consulting in the Geomatics branch.

Raffy was a very kind and gentle person. She enjoyed the slower pace of life and drew a lot of joy from animals and children. Animals were always part of her household, whether kittens or cats or dogs or birds, whether hers or someone else’s, she loved them all. She was discerning, unassuming and had a quiet determined nature. She did not feel the need to be the center of attention in a room but was rather the keen observer, one who quietly took the temperature and pulse of a room and astutely assessed characters and personalities. Raffi also had a sharp sense of humour which she shared with those closer to her. Raffy had a beautiful easy smile and contagious laugh and made anyone around her feel included and comfortable. Raffy was an amazing cook. She made the best pasta sauces and best fried pizzette napoletane. She knew where to find those special unknown ingredients that put her recipes above all others, ingredients that most people would have never heard of. Raffy was so good at bargain hunting. She had an eye for picking out gems when searching for furniture, art, lamps or clothing, things that the rest of us would not notice for its value or beauty. Her home was her sanctuary. Adorned in keepsakes of family heirlooms mixed with her own eclectic style, she loved her space that she shared with her baby Oscar. She held fast to her principles and beliefs and in her last two years, battling the pains that accompanied her metastatic cancer she made sure that the workmen in the construction of a high rise right next to her home, for which the wrath of noise she endured relentlessly, stuck to their legal hours of work. Although little in stature she commanded an audience of workmen who would listen and put down their tools. We will miss her deeply.

The family wishes to thank McElhanney for their celebration of life dinner in Raffy’s honour. For those wishing to honour her memory with a donation please consider donating to any animal rescue or humane society.